Large eddy simulations of the accumulation of buoyant material in oceanic wind-driven and convective turbulence

Buoyant material such as microplastics accumulate near the ocean surface in regions with convergent surface currents where they can be harmful to marine life. Here, we use large eddy simulations to investigate the transport and accumulation of buoyant material in a turbulent ocean mixed layer under combined wind and convection forcing. We model non-inertial buoyant particles with a combination of buoyant tracers and Lagrangian surface particles, which allows us to explore a wide range of particle buoyancies. Surface cooling drives convection, and under this regime persistent convective vortices form that trap buoyant particles, leading to large concentrations. Despite their small size, the convective vortices exhibit a bias towards cyclonic vorticity that has not been reported previously. Based on an analysis of Lagrangian trajectories, the average time that a particle spends inside a convective vortex is long enough for planetary vorticity to become important and further vortex stretching causes an exponential increase in vorticity. When wind forcing is included, there is a transition from convective cells to longitudinal wind rolls with three distinct flow patterns observed under weak, moderate and strong wind forcing. For sufficiently weak winds, convective vortices survive but are less effective at trapping buoyant material. Under strong wind forcing, convective vortices no longer exist, but some clustering occurs in regions of high speed associated with longitudinal wind rolls. We quantify the degree of clustering using the Gini coefficient and find that clustering is strongly influenced by the relative size of the friction and convective velocities and the particle buoyancy.

Automated summary

Buoyant materials such as microplastics accumulate near the ocean surface in regions with convergent surface currents, posing a threat to marine life. Through large eddy simulations, we study the transport and accumulation of buoyant materials in a turbulent ocean mixed layer under wind and convection forcing. We observe the formation of persistent convective vortices that trap buoyant particles due to surface cooling and find a bias towards cyclonic vorticity. The presence of wind forces leads to a transition from convective cells to longitudinal wind rolls, affecting the trapping and clustering of buoyant materials.