Page 83 - AJWEP-22-4

Asian Journal of Water, Environment and Pollution. Vol. 22, No. 4 (2025), pp. 75-88.
doi: 10.36922/AJWEP025170129

ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE

Modeling river-to-sea plastic waste dynamics using
OpenDrift: A case study in Thanh Hoa, Vietnam

Thi Mai Anh Tran , Thi Phuong Thao Do * , Anh Quan Duong , and
2
1
2
Van Tuan Nghiem 3
1 Faculty of Natural Resources Management, Thai Nguyen University of Agriculture and Forestry, Thai Nguyen, Thai
Nguyen, Vietnam
2 Department of Cartography, Faculty of Geoinformatics, Hanoi University of Mining and Geology, Hanoi, Vietnam
3 Vietnam National Remote Sensing Station, Department of National Remote Sensing, Ministry of Agriculture and
Environment, Hanoi, Vietnam
*Corresponding author: Thi Phuong Thao Do (dothiphuongthao@humg.edu.vn)

Received: April 25, 2025; 1st revised: June 4, 2025; 2nd revised: June 13, 2025; 3rd revised: June 21, 2025;
Accepted: June 24, 2025; Published online: July 9, 2025

Abstract: Plastic pollution in aquatic ecosystems represents a significant and escalating global environmental crisis,
demanding urgent scientific and policy attention. This study examines the transport and accumulation patterns of
plastic waste originating from the Ma, Lach Bang, and Len Rivers in Thanh Hoa province, Vietnam. To simulate
these dynamics, we employed the OpenDrift modeling framework, which integrates high-resolution environmental
parameters such as wave action, wind patterns, ocean currents, temperature, and salinity. Simulations were
conducted across four seasonal scenarios (winter, transitional periods, and summer) and were validated against
unmanned aerial vehicle imagery, demonstrating strong spatial concordance in accumulation patterns. The results
reveal marked seasonal variability: winter conditions, dominated by the Northeast monsoon and reduced river
discharge, led to localized accumulation along southern coastal zones, whereas summer conditions, characterized
by intensified river flow and Southwest monsoon winds, facilitated extensive offshore dispersion. These findings
unveil critical, previously overlooked patterns of plastic waste dynamics, guiding precise risk mapping and strategic
interventions for sustainable marine management in Thanh Hoa and beyond.

Keywords: Waste transportation; Plastdrift; Seasonal scenarios; Marine environments

1. Introduction to pelagic zones; coastal and intertidal habitats, such as
mangrove forests, are also increasingly vulnerable to
Plastic waste accumulation in aquatic environments plastic contamination. 4-6
poses a multifaceted and escalating threat to biodiversity Rivers serve as critical pathways for transporting
and ecosystem integrity. In marine ecosystems, plastic plastic waste from terrestrial sources to marine
1
pollution disrupts biological communities and trophic environments. 7-10 Freshwater streams often generate
interactions, with numerous studies reporting mortality stratified currents that extend beyond river mouths,
2
among marine fauna, including mammals, birds, fish, altering local hydrodynamic conditions and influencing
and turtles, due to ingestion, entanglement, and exposure the drift trajectories of plastic debris. 11-13 However,
to microplastic particles. These impacts are not limited the extent to which fluvial inputs directly shape the
3

Volume 22 Issue 4 (2025) 75 doi: 10.36922/AJWEP025170129