title: Evaluation of beach cleanup effects using linear system analysis.
abstract: We established a method for evaluating beach cleanup effects (BCEs) based on a linear system analysis, and investigated factors determining BCEs. Here we focus on two BCEs: decreasing the total mass of toxic metals that could leach into a beach from marine plastics and preventing the fragmentation of marine plastics on the beach. Both BCEs depend strongly on the average residence time of marine plastics on the beach (τ(r)) and the period of temporal variability of the input flux of marine plastics (T). Cleanups on the beach where τ(r) is longer than T are more effective than those where τ(r) is shorter than T. In addition, both BCEs are the highest near the time when the remnants of plastics reach the local maximum (peak time). Therefore, it is crucial to understand the following three factors for effective cleanups: the average residence time, the plastic input period and the peak time.
authors.affiliation: Coastal Zone Systems Division, Coastal, Marine and Disaster Prevention Department, National Institute for Land and Infrastructure Management, 3-1-1 Nagase, Yokosuka, Kanagawa 239-0826, Japan. Electronic address: kataoka-t852a@ysk.nilim.go.jp.
authors.forename: Tomoya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kataoka
authors.affiliation: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Ehime University, 3 Bunkyo-cho, Matsuyama, Ehime 790-8577, Japan.
authors.forename: Hirofumi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hinata
mesh_terms: D001493:Bathing Beaches / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods; D004787:Environmental Pollution / Q000517:prevention & control*; D052918:Environmental Restoration and Remediation / Q000379:methods*; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D010969:Plastics / Q000737:chemistry*; D013597:Systems Analysis; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D010969:Plastics
keywords: Average residence time; Beach cleanup effect; Linear system analysis; Marine plastics