Initially only one location was investigated: 31°N 142°W.
For this location, first the optimal boom orientation was
determined and then simulations were performed for the
following boom lengths: 50, 100 and 200 k. Although 30
years of data was available, a simulation was only done
for 10 years due to computation time. As initially in the
model there is no plastic in the oceans, the simulation
was started after the first 15 years of the available data
to give the model time to settle from its initial conditions.
In the simulations the boom is described as a simple line
as it is illustrated in Figure 2.38 by the dashed line. Each
particle travels in a straight line between two consecutive
weeks and if this line intersects the line of the boom it is
assumed that the particle is caught, independent from
the angle at which the particle approaches the boom.
All the particles that intersect the boom line are counted
and removed from the data in subsequent weeks. The
result of the 10-year simulation is represented in Figure
2.44. In Figure 2.44 the efficiency is obtained by normalizing
the amount of caught particles by the amount of
particles that would have been in the NPSG if no boom
were placed.