By now most of the environmentally conscious are aware of the giant swirling garbage gyre in the North Pacific, originally discovered in 1997 by Captain Charles Moore, founder of the Algalita Marine Research Foundation. Moore first published on his travels in to the North Pacific Gyre in 1999, though the media was slow to react to his tales of plastic islands, and miles upon miles of marine garbage. By 2005 major news organizations began reporting on Moore's North Pacific Gyre, and the issue gained attention worldwide. Now, a team of researchers from Algalita and Livable Legacy, Dr. Marcus Eriksen and Anna Cummins have brought a team of artists, ocean activists, journalists, and scientists to the other side of North America on an a North Atlantic expedition to look for plastic debris as part of a new research initiative, the 5 Gyres Project (5gyres.org).
Worldwide, there exist five major oceanic gyres and it is hypothesized by Eriksen and Cummins that all of these gyres will collect marine debris, much in the same way that the North Pacific does. Due to the manner by which ocean currents and tradewinds work, they form what is essentially a massive spinning vortex. As a journalist and representative of the Surfrider Foundation aboard the Pangaea Explorations research vessel Sea Dragon, reporting directly from the North Atlantic Gyre via satellite communication, I can confirm that another worldwide garbage patch exists, here, in a disperse synthetic soup we're currently floating upon. As of the time of this writing, 19:31 GMT, our position is roughly 500 miles SE of Bermuda and a 1000 miles SW of the Azores.
Since our departure last Thursday from Bermuda the science team has been collecting data on plastic density every 50-100 miles (weather permitting) as we sail easterly across the Atlantic towards Europe. With a device specifically engineered to skim the surface of the water and just below called a MantaTrawl, we have collected 12 samples on the second leg of the journey thus far. The MantaTrawl takes a 60cm. by 25 cm. sample of the ocean over a three hour period covering about 7 miles. On the first leg, from the US Virgin Islands to Bermuda, we collected 20 samples. From both legs, each sample has shown evidence plastic fragments in every trawl. Varying in the density, the samples from the first leg have already been shipped backed to Algalita labs in California. Beyond fragmented and photodegraded plastic, we've come across what are called Windrows, areas in the ocean where currents and wind patterns conspire to make 'patches' where debris collects densely. These areas, often marked by large swatches of sargassum (a plant that grows on the surface of this area of the Atlantic known as the Sargasso Sea) are where we're finding large collections of plastic, in big chunks, floating on the surface.
Thus far, we've found plastic milk crates, lighters, toothbrushes, bottle caps, shotgun shells, dental floss holders, buckets and bucket lids, bleach bottles, antifreeze bottles, plastic bags, plastic tubs, nail polish remover bottles, and every manner of plastic goods one would find in any grocery store across the world. As a crew, we collect this debris from the deck of the Sea Dragon with large fish nets and examine the contents. The results have been staggering. Ultimately, it's difficult to imagine the size of the problem that is now affecting the Atlantic too because our vantage is that of a needle in a haystack -- a 72 foot research sailboat amidst the vast wilderness of an enormous ocean. But what's certain, given the data and debris collected already along a transect, is that the problem of plastic in oceanic gyres worldwide is at least twice as bad as researchers knew before and is ubiquitous in the Atlantic as well.
For more information and updates on the voyage, check the useful links below:
5gyres.org
Wendmag.com/Greenery
Riseaboveplastics.org
Surfrider.org
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Shocking what he's found. thousands of Comorants that have died because their stomachs were full of plastic bottle tops and fragments, sea lions with plastic around their necks and more garbage than anyone or any country could ever hope to clean up.
It Should have been converted to fuel instead of being thrown away.
Waste Bio Fuels, Bio Char, and Fisher Troppes, in particular can convert all our organic wastes in energy and fuel, cleanly and carbon negative if you want.
Woods, paper, sewage, plastics, agriwaste, rending waste, Diseased trees plants and animals. All can be converted to energy fuel and charcoal. The only limit is the waste with high levels of heave metals, should burn the Charcoal, and recover or glassily the metals. Charcoal free of heavy metals enhances soil and sequesters carbon for 100 of years.
The total energy of the land can be reused all while reducing greenhouse gases.
We Use the Land for Food, Wood, grazing 100%.
THEN we BioChar the waste
This can provide all the fuels we will ever need.
In total, the upper limit of the bio-energy potential could be over 1000 EJ per year. This is considerably more than the current global energy use of 400 EJ.
http://www.uce-uu.nl/index.php?action=1&menuId=1&type=project&id=3&
(Use low estimates since using the WASTE)
http://terrapreta.bioenergylists.org/company list of BioChar companies.
http://www.agri-therm.com/solution.html portable bio fuel oil BioChar units.
http://www.advbiorefineryinc.ca/news/ meat rending waste BioChar.
http://terrapretapot.org/
It is apparent from mere cursory examination the cost of in situ collection exceeds the economic value of the collected material as fuel. Suggesting otherwise is nonsense.
The only hope for economical recovery of these discarded materials is at the point of disposal. If they cannot be recovered economically thay will have to landfilled.
The most sensible thing that can be done is to prohibit dumping of waste into the oceans and to enforce such prohibitions.
But it's such a large pile, it may be quite economical to convert to bio fuels right on the spot.
Ocean cargo ships are designed to use the cheapest crudest oil available, they can handle bio Fuels easily.
I think solar is practical for a lot of households but the technology cost needs to drop to be truly cost effective on a wide scale.
Wind power is one of those feel good things that looks impressive but the wind farms are environmentally challenging. Wind power could do a lot for small applications i.e. electric car charging.
Along with bio diesel, I favor moving American autos and trucks off gasoline to diesel. That model has worked well in Europe and I see no reason why it would not work here as well.
Here's what I would do.
1. Scan the plastic bottle bar code.
2. Send the data back to the USA.
3. Contact company, find out which store had the bottle.
4. Contact store. find out which consumer bought it.
5. Send a letter to the consumer, saying, "We found your trash in the Gyre. Want to do something about it?"
Send picture of trash, pictures of gyre, and pictures of deformed sea life.
This will raise you MILLIONS to clean up the trash patches.
It's some backend work, but it would REALLY WORK to make more people recycle, and think about the impact they're having on the earth!
Free Advice.
http://wildwomanfundraising.com