Distribution of floating inertial particles in the ocean by their density: formation and evolution of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch

Distribution of floating inertial particles in the ocean by their density: formation and evolution of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Distribution of floating inertial particles in the ocean by their density: formation and evolution of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch A. Camilo Espinosa-Ramírez, Azucena H. Durán Colmenares This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8554568/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 7 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract A significant amount of man-made garbage is accumulating in the ocean, particularly plastic debris, which is hard to break down. Efforts have been made to estimate the amount of garbage, locate the areas with the highest accumulation, and clean it up. However, the problem is still growing. Our study utilized the Maxey-Riley equations for inertial particles in the air-sea interface to investigate how debris accumulates and spreads in the North Pacific Ocean. The particles are spherical and can have a density different from that of water or air. We studied the particles' motion based on their density. Our findings show that the heaviest particles, with a density just below the seawater density, tend to gather in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP). The less-dense spheres accumulate in smaller quantities in the GPGP and are carried westward; some of them are beached on the coasts of Asia. Furthermore, we reproduced an accumulation of garbage in the Gulf of Alaska, where previous observations report relatively high concentrations of micro- and mesoplastics relative accumulation. Our results show that the Maxey-Riley equation for particles in the air-sea interface is an effective tool for carrying out and optimizing actions to clean up floating debris pollution in the ocean. Finally, we observed a seasonal pattern in the location and dispersion of the GPGP. It was previously noticed that there is a seasonality linked to the weakening of the atmosphere's anticyclonic circulation over the Pacific Ocean. We reaffirm that in some winters, the particles leave the location of the GPGP. inertial particles marine debris Great Pacific Garbage Patch Maxey-Riley equations windage Lagrangian transport Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Reviewers agreed at journal 07 May, 2026 Reviews received at journal 12 Mar, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 24 Feb, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 23 Feb, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 13 Jan, 2026 Submission checks completed at journal 13 Jan, 2026 First submitted to journal 08 Jan, 2026 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8554568","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":596134757,"identity":"d4b5af99-1c53-4042-8112-8e3da72bdb5b","order_by":0,"name":"A. 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