A coupled high-resolution hydrodynamic-particle tracking model was developed to study the spatiotemporal distribution and pathways of floating plastics in the coastal waters of equatorial Singapore. The coupled model was first calibrated and validated against the field measurements and then applied to explore impact of various prevailing wind and hydrodynamic conditions on fate and transport of the plastics. The results highlighted that the wind effect on the hydrodynamics is negligible, but it influences the transmissions of floating plastics significantly in the Singapore’s coastal waters. The spatial and seasonal hotspots of plastic waste were identified, which were consistent with field observations when the windage ranged from 3% to 5%. A further evaluation of the predicted trajectories showed that plastic wastes released from the land could be transported approximately 70 km seaward within 72 h when the windage was 5%. Furthermore, it was also found that the effects of climate change and increasing plastic usage would aggravate plastic pollution and accelerate its transport. The established model can provide new insights into the spatiotemporal distribution and fate of plastic waste in the tropical coastal waters, which is useful to assist regulators in making policy decisions in response to the future climate change and plastic usage.

建立了耦合的高分辨率水动力颗粒追踪模型，以研究赤道新加坡沿海水域中漂浮塑料的时空分布和路径。首先对耦合模型进行了校准，并针对现场测量进行了验证，然后将其应用于探索各种盛行的风和水动力条件对塑料的命运和运输的影响。结果表明，风对流体动力学的影响可以忽略不计，但它对漂浮在新加坡沿海水域的塑料的传输产生了显着影响。确定了塑料废物的空间和季节热点，这与在3％到5％范围内的风阻范围内的实地观察一致。对预测轨迹的进一步评估表明，当风阻为5％时，从陆地释放的塑料废物可以在72小时内向海运输约70公里。此外，还发现气候变化和塑料使用量增加的影响将加剧塑料污染并加速其运输。建立的模型可以为热带沿海水域中塑料废物的时空分布和命运提供新的见解，这有助于协助监管机构针对未来的气候变化和塑料使用做出决策。