Coupled watershed and estuary modeling of microplastic transport and retention in the Delaware river basin
Abstract
Microplastics (MPs) are an emerging environmental concern owing to their widespread presence and ecological impacts. We develop a coupled watershed–estuary modeling framework to simulate MP transport from terrestrial sources to estuarine systems. The Distributed Hydrology Soil Vegetation Model (DHSVM) is enhanced to represent point and nonpoint MP sources and is coupled with the Finite Volume Community Ocean Model (FVCOM) to capture estuarine transport. Applied to the Delaware River Basin, the framework simulates MP build-up and wash-off, including airborne deposition and wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) discharges. Coupling the estuary model enables a more accurate estimation of MP discharge to the ocean, highlighting retention within Delaware Bay from salinity-induced circulation. MP retention on land is strongly influenced by watershed topography, urban distribution, and source configuration, with the “Lower Delaware” subwatershed exhibiting minimal residence time. These results demonstrate the importance of watershed–estuary coupling for accurate MP export estimates and provide a framework for evaluating MP fate in aquatic environments.
Related
- Using GIS, remote-sensing and linear modeling to prioritize spatially explicit action against erosion and sediment transport within Lake Victoria watershed in Kenya
- Evolving Biofilm Morphology Controls Microplastic Transport in Porous Media
- Beyond advection: A Lagrangian framework for microplastic transport in depth-averaged shallow water flows
- Seasonal transport, retention, and river-to-ocean transfer dynamics of floating macro-debris in the Umgeni River and estuarine lagoon, South Africa
- Fractal Roughness-Controlled Solute Transport and Apparent Local Retention in Sheared Rock Fractures Under Different Hydraulic Conditions
BibTeX
@article{duan2026coupled,
title = {{Coupled watershed and estuary modeling of microplastic transport and retention in the Delaware river basin}},
author = {Z. Duan and Y. Huang and M. Wigmosta and Z. Li and N. Sun and T. Wang and Z. Yang and B. Maurer},
journal = {Scientific Reports},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1038/s41598-026-57910-7},
url = {https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-57910-7},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Coupled watershed and estuary modeling of microplastic transport and retention in the Delaware river basin
AU - Z. Duan
AU - Y. Huang
AU - M. Wigmosta
AU - Z. Li
AU - N. Sun
AU - T. Wang
AU - Z. Yang
AU - B. Maurer
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/09
JO - Scientific Reports
DO - 10.1038/s41598-026-57910-7
UR - https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-57910-7
AB - Microplastics (MPs) are an emerging environmental concern owing to their widespread presence and ecological impacts. We develop a coupled watershed–estuary modeling framework to simulate MP transport from terrestrial sources to estuarine systems. The Distributed Hydrology Soil Vegetation Model (DHSVM) is enhanced to represent point and nonpoint MP sources and is coupled with the Finite Volume Community Ocean Model (FVCOM) to capture estuarine transport. Applied to the Delaware River Basin, the framework simulates MP build-up and wash-off, including airborne deposition and wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) discharges. Coupling the estuary model enables a more accurate estimation of MP discharge to the ocean, highlighting retention within Delaware Bay from salinity-induced circulation. MP retention on land is strongly influenced by watershed topography, urban distribution, and source configuration, with the “Lower Delaware” subwatershed exhibiting minimal residence time. These results demonstrate the importance of watershed–estuary coupling for accurate MP export estimates and provide a framework for evaluating MP fate in aquatic environments.
SN - 2045-2322
ER -