Great Pacific garbage patch

[AquaGeo]

Originally Posted by hpeer

Stu,
I didn't see a lot difference, but maybe I'm practiced at scanning and skipping over the hyperbole.

Yet the facts of the case, whales injesting our debris, are nothing for humanity to be proud of.

Agreed, not really evidence for the 'Pacific Garbage Patch' though...

I think it is actually worse in that it seems to indicate an increase in overall pollution across a much wider area. If it were all in a single patch it might be easier to deal with...

[DeepFrz]

People of the sea may be interested in this organization.

Plastic Pollution Coalition

[RaymondR]

There is a Great Pacific Garbage Patch and it's called New Zealand (I'm in a bugger of a stirring mood today)

[aquadreams]

It's always an eye-opener to read discussions like these.

For those interested or willing to listen, try the www.5gyres.org website. Check their FAQ : https://www.5gyres.org/faq/
List of publications: https://www.5gyres.org/publications/
and their Science programs: https://www.5gyres.org/science-programs/

There are 5 main ocean gyres, not just the one northern Pacific one. The five main subtropical gyres—are located in the North and South Pacific, the North and South Atlantic, and the Indian Ocean.

There is no garbage island, or garbage patch.

The latest estimate from 2014 is 270,000 metric tons of plastic in the ocean, 5.25 trillion pieces. The data was gathered by measuring at 1571 stations from 680 net tows and 891 visual survey transects. Paper is here
Plastic Pollution in the World's Oceans: More than 5 Trillion Plastic Pieces Weighing over 250,000 Tons Afloat at Sea
and you can find this paper and others at https://www.5gyres.org/publications/

If you're interested, you can probably contact 5gyres to participate in data collection as part of their TrawlShare program.
CONTACT: CAROLYNN AT 5GYRES.ORG

TrawlShare

Launched as the Travel Trawl program in 2014, TrawlShare now includes 50 trawls made specifically for 5 Gyres. We provide trawls and protocols for citizen scientists to collect data on marine plastic pollution, raise awareness about this important issue, and contribute to a more robust global dataset.
Citizen scientists and partners provide data used to update our Global Estimate of Marine Plastic Pollution. This program provides a unique hands-on experience to carry out research that is essential to the 5 Gyres mission. Soon, our TrawlShare map will allow our community to watch in real time as our partners collect data from around the globe.



Solutions begin with knowledge and problem assessment, not denial.

Happy sailing,
Joe
aquadreams

[Yellowtulip]

Originally Posted by denverd0n

When they have to falsify the evidence in order to make their point, you have to be highly suspicious of the point at all, so I'm not even sure if "the message is good."

There's a big difference between falsifying evidence, and exaggerating, misinterpreting and misreporting it. I don't know which of these is happening here, it could be any of them.

[jdazey]

Originally Posted by quill

FLOTSAMETRICS, Intersting book

Yup, an interesting book without all the drama. We found our copy in a thrift store, one of our best bargains.

Cheers,

[gjordan]

Our local community theater just did a showing of the movie PLASTIC OCEANS. If anyone thought the photos that have been posted of the dead birds with lots of plastic in them were made up, this movie showed actual dissecting of birds on Pacific atolls. There is no making up the damage that is being done. There is no need to drag nets to confirm plastic in the ocean, the birds do it for us and many die in the process. Much was discussed in the movie, including the Philippine garbage piles, and isolated Pacific islands. A marine biologist gave an interesting talk afterward and basically said that there is not a lot that can be done about what is already in the ocean, but to avoid a dead ocean in the future we need to drastically cut down on the use of plastics. Plastics never actually go away. The article that started this long thread was from THE FEDERALIST, which is a notorious denier of anything that might cost corporations money. After 3 trips from Hawaii to California, I agree that you dont see much other than in the High. Most of the plastic is floating in the top 2 meters of water and is never seen, but looks like food to fish and birds. Only political action that makes laws to prevent the slow death of the ocean will solve this problem. It will cost money to solve the problem and corporations will fight it tooth and nail, and our bought and payed for politicians will vote against it. If we took the money out of politics, we might get politicians that worked for the people rather than the big doners. I wonder if that will ever happen? _____Grant.

[StuM]

> Our local community theater just did a showing of the movie PLASTIC OCEANS.

Do you mean "A Plastic Ocean"?

A Plastic Ocean (2016) - IMDb

An interesting interview with the Producer of that one here:

Q&A: A Plastic Ocean – can a movie help us see this invisible crisis?

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by StuM

> Our local community theater just did a showing of the movie PLASTIC OCEANS.

Do you mean "A Plastic Ocean"?

A Plastic Ocean (2016) - IMDb

An interesting interview with the Producer of that one here:

Q&A: A Plastic Ocean – can a movie help us see this invisible crisis?

Yes I do believe that was the corect propaganda piece he was refering to.

[GordMay]

Meanwhile, a small ray of light ➥ Discovery of plastic-eating caterpillar could prove a boon in waste disposal - Technology & Science - CBC News