Dataset Supporting LOCATE Simulations for Floating Marine Litter in the Black Sea (2017), Published in Front. Mar. Sci. (2023) and Mar. Pollut. Bull. (2025)

This dataset contains the output of numerical simulations conducted with the LOCATE model to assess the transport and accumulation of floating marine litter (FML) in the Black Sea during the year 2017. LOCATE is a Lagrangian transport model based on OceanParcels, specifically adapted for this study at both regional and coastal scales. The regional simulations include riverine inputs as well as homogeneous surface releases, with and without Stokes drift. Coastal simulations focused on the Dniester River area using high-resolution nested grids and two alternative beaching criteria (velocity-based and distance-based). The dataset includes particle trajectories (lon, lat, time), and beaching state (0= drifting, 1=beached). These results are used to identify key retention areas, understand the role of wave-induced transport, and compare different model configurations. The simulations were carried out as part of the DOORS project (Developing Optimal and Open Research Support for the Black Sea), and are presented in the following scientific publications: Castro-Rosero, L. M., Hernández, I., Alsina, J. M., Espino, M. (2023). Transport and accumulation of floating marine litter in the Black Sea: insights from numerical modeling. Frontiers in Marine Science, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2023.1213333 Castro-Rosero, L. M., Hernández, I., Mestres, M., Liste, M., Alsina, J. M., & Espino, M. (2025). Numerical modeling of the dispersion and accumulation of marine litter from the Dniester River in coastal areas of the northwestern Black Sea. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 213, 117602. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2025.117602 Please cite the dataset if you use it in your work.