We’re excited to announce the release of plasticparcels, a cutting-edge Python package for simulating the transport and dispersion of plastics in the ocean. PlasticParcels is designed to empower researchers, modelers, and developers to advance our understanding of plastic pollution pathways and dynamics.
Key Features:
- Streamlined Workflows: A user-friendly Python notebook layer simplifies plastic dispersal simulations.
- Custom Physical Models: Includes kernels for simulating processes like Stokes drift, wind-induced drift, biofouling, and turbulent mixing.
- Global Plastic Initialisation Maps: Provides emission estimates from coastlines, river sources, and open-ocean fishing activities, alongside buoyant plastic concentration data.
Why PlasticParcels?
PlasticParcels bridges cutting-edge research and practical application. It’s tailored for:
• Easy-to-run simulations
• Rapid prototyping and development of new fine-scale physical parameterizations
• Seamless integration with hydrodynamic and biogeochemical data from the Copernicus Marine Service, as part of the NECCTON project.
The current version supports nano- and microplastics, with plans for macroplastics in future updates. Its flexibility allows users to integrate components into their own Parcels workflows, from leveraging initialisation maps to applying custom kernels.
Looking Ahead:
We aim to embed PlasticParcels within a cloud platform to enable even faster simulations and development.
This tool isn’t just a simulation engine—it’s a modular, customizable platform that allows the scientific community to tackle plastic pollution with innovation and precision.
🛠️ Dive into the tutorials, try it on your local machine or HPC. The pathways and fate of Italian coastal plastic pollution — plasticparcels documentation
Full paper: plasticparcels: A python package for marine plastic dispersal simulations and parameterisation development using parcels
