1195 3.4 Digital Twin Visualization In this study, temporal attributes were assigned to the particle position data obtained from the particle tracking simulation, and the dataset was visualized in a 3D GIS environment (Figure 6). A vertical coordinate (z) was assigned by combining particle settling velocity in seawater with elapsed time to represent a simplified 3D distribution within the mixed layer. This approach enables spatiotemporal examination of transport pathways at 3-hour intervals and supports intuitive interpretation of advection directions and migration ranges in the marine environment. Figure 6 – Example 3D GIS-based digital twin visualisation of particle positions 39 h after entry to the marine domain, illustrating advection by ocean currents and an assigned vertical coordinate based on settling in seawater 4. DISCUSSION This study developed an integrated land–sea digital twin framework to evaluate the dispersion of quarry-derived particulate matter in the Galápagos Islands by combining atmospheric reanalysis, particle settling theory, ocean circulation modeling, and three-dimensional visualization. The results demonstrate that seasonal atmospheric conditions strongly control the predictability of particulate transport in island environments. During the warm season, large variability in wind direction resulted in unstable and highly dispersed transport pathways, making it difficult to define representative deposition zones. In contrast, the cold season exhibited persistent southeasterly trade winds, enabling the identification of dominant transport corridors and providing a physically consistent basis for marine dispersion analysis. Particle size was found to be a key factor governing both atmospheric deposition and marine transport. Fine particles (10 μm) exhibited long atmospheric residence times and wide offshore deposition areas, while larger particles (30 μm) settled primarily in nearshore waters. Marine particle tracking further showed that 10 μm particles remained within the surface mixed layer for extended periods and were transported westward by the South Equatorial Current, with some particles reaching the coastal waters of Santa Cruz Island within approximately 24–39 hours. In contrast, larger particles showed limited dispersion due to their short residence times. These results indicate that fine particles pose a higher potential for interisland material transfer and widespread environmental impacts. Marine transport was simulated using a two-dimensional horizontal advection framework, with vertical processes parameterized through mixed-layer residence time estimates. The use of velocity fields at 9.57 m depth was justified by the relatively uniform momentum structure within the surface mixed layer during the cold season. Although this simplified approach does not explicitly resolve three-dimensional turbulence and diffusion, it provides a physically consistent first-order approximation for near-surface particle transport following atmospheric deposition and is suitable for regional-scale environmental assessments.
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