Microplastics pollution has led to irreversible environmental consequences and has triggered global concerns. It has been shown that water resources and marine food consumers are adversely affected by microplastics due to their physico-chemical characteristics. This study attempts to comprehensively review the structure of four well-known Lagrangian particle-tracking models, i.e., Delft3D—Water Quality Particle tracking module (D-WAQ PART), Ichthyoplankton (Ichthyop), Track Marine Plastic Debris (TrackMPD), and Canadian Microplastic Simulation (CaMPSim-3D) in simulating the fate and transport of microplastics. Accordingly, the structure of each model is investigated with respect to addressing the involved physical transport processes (including advection, diffusion, windage, beaching, and washing-off) and transformation processes (particularly biofouling and degradation) that play key roles in microplastics’ behavior in the marine environment. In addition, the effects of the physical properties (mainly size, diameter, and shape) of microplastics on their fate and trajectories are reviewed. The models’ capabilities and shortcomings in the simulation of microplastics are also discussed. The present review sheds light on some aspects of microplastics’ behavior in water that were not properly addressed in particle-tracking models, such as homo- and hetero-aggregation, agglomeration, photodegradation, and chemical and biological degradation as well as additional advection due to wave-induced drift. This study can be regarded as a reliable steppingstone for the future modification of the reviewed models.
The surface energy balance (SEB) model is a physically based approach in which aerodynamic principles and bulk transfer theory are used to estimate actual evapotranspiration. A wide range of different methods have been developed to parameterize the SEB equation; however, few studies addressed solutions to the SEB considering the land surface temperature (LST). Therefore, in the current review, a clear and comprehensive classification is provided for energy-based approaches considering the key role of LST in solving the energy budget. In this regard, three general approaches are presented using LSTs derived by climate and land surface models (LSMs), satellite-based data, and energy balance closure. In addition, this review surveys the concepts, required inputs, and assumptions of energy-based LSMs and SEB algorithms in detail. The limitations and challenges of aforementioned approaches including land surface temperature, surface energy imbalance, and calculation of surface and aerodynamic resistance network are also assessed. According to the results, since the accuracy of resulting LSTs are affected by weather conditions, surface energy closure, and use of vegetation/meteorological information, all approaches are faced with uncertainties in determining ET. In addition, for further study, an interactive evaluation of water and energy conservation laws is recommended to improve the ET estimation accuracy.
Distributed hydrological models can be suitable choices for predicting the spatial distribution of water and energy fluxes if the conceptual relationships between the components are defined appropriately. Therefore, an innovative approach has been developed using a simultaneous formulation of bulk heat transfer theory, energy budgeting, and water balance as an integrated hydrological model, i.e., the Monthly Continuous Semi-Distributed Energy Water Balance (MCSD-EWB) model, to estimate land surface hydrological components. The connection between water and energy balances is established by evapotranspiration (ET), which is a function of soil moisture and land surface temperature (LST). Thus, the developed structure is based on a three-way coupling between ET, soil moisture, and LST. The LST is obtained via the direct solution of the energy balance equation, and the spatiotemporal distribution of ET is presented using the computed LST and soil moisture through the bulk transfer method and water balance. In addition to the LST computed using the MCSD-EWB model, the LST products of ERA5-Land and MODIS are also utilized as inputs. The results indicate the adequate performance of the model in simulating LST, ET, streamflow, and groundwater level. Furthermore, the developed model performs better by employing the ERA5-Land LST than by using the MODIS LST in estimating the components.
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