MPCOAST: MicroPlastic transport processes in the COASTal environment

Led by: | Fuhrman, David R. (PI) |
E-Mail: | schlurmann@lufi.uni-hannover.de |
Team: | Larsen, Bjarke Eltard (Project Participant); Carstensen, Stefan (Project Participant); Christensen, Erik Damgaard (Project Participant); Nils Kerpen (Project Participant); Torsten Schlurmann (Project Participant) |
Year: | 2020 |
Date: | 01-07-20 |
Funding: | Independent Research Fund Denmark |
Duration: | 07/2020 - 07/2023 |



Primary objectives include:
- To identify fundamental thresholds for (i) incipient motion conditions and (ii) initiation of suspension for non-buoyant MPs mixed with bottom sediments;
- To extend state-of-the-art computational fluid dynamics (CFD) coastal models to newly incorporate specialized particle models for turbulent MP transport, setting a new standard of practice in this area by a wide margin;
- To elucidate and quantify key differences in cross-shore (perpendicular to the coastline) transport processes and patterns (erosion, settling, convection, turbulent diffusion, etc.) for buoyant vs. non-buoyant MP, including identification of typical depositional “hotspots” in nearshore regions.