Betty John Kaimathuruthy presented her work on microplastic–sediment interactions in estuaries at the 6th Annual Meeting of the GDR Plastiques, Environnement, Santé, held in Talence (Bordeaux) from 1–3 July 2025.
Her presentation, “Effects of Microplastic–Sediment Interactions on Microplastics Dispersion in the Gironde Estuary: A Modelling Approach”, explored how estuarine sediments influence the fate of microplastics. Using a coupled hydro-sedimentary and particle tracking model applied to the Gironde estuary, she tested several scenarios that combined particle types, seasonal conditions, release modes, and different forms of sediment–microplastic interaction. The results show that muddy intertidal zones and bottom sediments can substantially increase the residence time of both floating and settling microplastics in upper reaches, turning sediment accumulation areas into key sinks within the estuary. These findings underline the importance of sediment–plastic interactions for understanding large-scale transport, retention, and long-term dispersion of microplastics in estuarine systems.
The conference was locally organized by a multidisciplinary team from the University of Bordeaux including PLASTINEST coordinator Isabel Jalón-Rojas, reflecting the project’s contribution to national scientific efforts on plastic pollution.
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