WHY?
Context
Marine litter, and plastic in particular, constitutes an environmental problem of growing concern. One of the major factors determining litter distribution, accumulation and fate is ocean motion. In coastal areas, hydrodynamics is characterized by a complex interaction of multiscale processes in which energy inputs from the atmosphere are balanced with dissipation on the coast and the seabed. This results in specific dynamical characteristics which spatial and temporal features cover a wide range of scales that differ from those of the open ocean.