A numerical tool for buoyant plastic debris transport prediction in the nearshore zone

The transport of plastics in the marine environment is a critical issue for understanding their fate and identifying potential accumulation zones. In this context, various methodolo-gies-mainly based on numerical modelling-are being developed to evaluate how meteo-marine forcings (such as wave motion, wind and currents) and the physical and chemical properties of plastics influence their transport dynamics. This study presents the results of a modified version of XBeach, developed at the University of Messina, which focuses on simulating plastic transport in the nearshore zone, driven by wave action. The main advantage of this model over empirical approaches is its ability not only to simulate plastic debris dynamics but also to account for the interactions with hydrodynamic and morphodynamic processes. Validation against experimental data demonstrates that the numerical approach can offer improved accuracy compared to empirical models currently available in the literature.