Tracking how ocean currents transport plastic, plankton and other materials
The Lagrangian Ocean Analysis team at Utrecht University
The Lagrangian Ocean Analysis team within the Institute for Marine and Atmospheric research at Utrecht University's Department of Physics, uses the OceanParcels framework to create and analyse simulations of the transport of material (plastics, plankton, fish) by ocean currents and its impact on climate and marine ecosystems. Within the group, we adhere to Open Science principles and aim to create a collaborative and inclusive atmosphere.The team (alphabetical)
Vesna Bertoncelj
PhD researcher
Vesna investigates how polluntants spread around coral reefs on Curacao.
Mark Elbertsen
MSc student
Mark simulates how and where large icebergs melted in the Eocene Southern Ocean.
Laura Gomez Navarro
Margarita Salas Fellow
Laura investigates how oceanic fine-scales affect the transport of marine plastic.
Cleo Jongedijk
PhD researcher
Cleo investigates how plastic litter ends up on beaches.
Darshika Manral
PhD researcher
Darshika investigates how plankton interact with nutrients and plastic in the Atlantic Ocean.
Marc op den Kamp
MSc student
Marc uses machine learning to predict macroplastic beaching events
Claudio Pierard
PhD researcher
Claudio investigates the origin and fate of nanoplastics in our ocean.
Daan Reijnders
PhD researcher
Daan investigates how to incorporate diffusion into particle simulations in biogeochemical oceanography.
Siren Rühs
Postdoctoral researcher
Siren investigates how the latest generation of ocean models can be used to simulate the dispersion of plastic.
Erik van Sebille
Professor
Erik investigates how ocean currents move 'stuff' around, and leads the OceanParcels project.
Steffie Ypma
Postdoctoral researcher
Steffie creates a tool that supports plastic cleanup in the Galapagos.
Previous team members
Deborah Bassotto
MSc student [ thesis ]Mariana de Botton Falcon
MSc student [ thesis ]Quinten Bohte
MSc student [ thesis ]Ilse Bos
BSc studentTycho Bovenschen
MSc student [ thesis ]Simon Brouwer
BSc student [ thesis ]Laura Chow
MSc studentPhilippe Delandmeter
Postdoctoral researcherIlja Deurloo
BSc studentBram van Duinen
BSc student [ thesis ]Raymond Edwards
BSc student [ thesis ]Judith Ewald
MSc studentReint Fischer
Software support & MSc student [ thesis ]Philippe Frankemölle
MSc studentMichal Janssen
BSc student [ thesis ]Mikael Kaandorp
PhD researcherChristian Kehl
Postdoctoral researcherEliza de Keijzer
BSc student [ thesis ]Delphine Lobelle
Postdoctoral researcherSophie van Mil
MSc studentMaarten Muller
MSc student [ thesis ]Ina Nagler
MSc student [ thesis ]Peter Nooteboom
Postdoctoral researcherArianna Olivelli
MSc student [ thesis ]Victor Onink
PhD researcher & MSc student [ thesis ]Bety Pechacova
BSc internJiongqiu Ren
MSc student [ thesis ]Joey Richardson
MSc studentJeroen van Rijn
BSc student [ thesis ]Denise Ruijsch
MSc studentSophie Schmiz
MSc student [ thesis ]Miriam Sterl
BSc student [ thesis ]Nicoleta Tsakali
BSc student [ thesis ]Aike Vonk
MSc studentAnneke Vries
MSc student [ thesis ]David Wichmann
PhD researcher [ thesis ]Current Projects
Nanoplastics: Origin, Structure and Fate
Funded by an NWO ENW-Groot projectTowards a plastic-free Galapagos: A new model to optimise beach cleanup strategies in complex island regions
Funded by the Galapagos Conservation Trust, an UU Pathways to Sustainability Acceleration Grant, and the K.F. Hein FondsBackward Lagrangian Tracking of the Patchiness of Oceanic Nutrients in a Turbulent Ocean
Funded by an NWO ENW-Klein project
Funded by the European Commission's Horizon2020 Programme
Funded by the European Commission's Horizon2020 Programme
SEALINK
Funded by an NWO Caribbean Research projectTowards a plastic-free Wadden Sea
Funded by Stichting Pieter Bastiaan(via the Utrecht University Fund)
Funded by the European Commission's Horizon Europe Programme
The effect of oceanic fine-scales on the transport of marine plastic
Funded by a Margarita Salas FellowshipPast Projects
Tracking Of Plastics In Our Seas (TOPIOS)
Funded by an ERC Starting Grant from the European Commission's Horizon2020 ProgrammeDynamics and climatic imprint of the early Antarctic Circumpolar Current
Funded by an NWO Open Competition projectApplication of OceanParcels to simulate the spatial and temporal movements of tuna to optimise designs of tuna tagging experiments
Funded by The Pacific Community
Funded by the European Space Agency