The North Pacific Gyre is a vast area of the ocean. Stretching from Japan to California, the Gyre encompasses most of the North Pacific. So where are we going on the New Horizon, and how did we choose our cruise track?
Here’s our current route:
The New Horizon's route from San Diego to Newport.
We’re aiming for the calm zone in the center of the eastern part of the Gyre. This figure shows the average wind speeds in August for the last 10 years. We want to get to that big calm white spot in the middle:
SEAPLEX is headed for the big white spot!
The cruise track was also determined by the rather unromantic notion of ship time. Our time at sea is limited by both the New Horizon’s schedule and by the expense of operating a scientific research vessel. In our case, the New Horizon’s schedule means that we have to start in San Diego and end in Newport, OR. And thanks to grants from the UC Ship Funds and our collaborators Project Kaisei, we have the funds to utilize the New Horizon for 19 1/2 days.
We want to spend as much time as possible sampling the eastern Gyre given those constraints. We’ll be cruising around the predicted high-concentration zones around 35-40 degrees north and 140 degrees west. Though we would like to explore farther south and west, this depends on conditions – if the weather is great and the New Horizon can go fast, we’re golden. If the weather is terrible and we can only go 5 knots, we’ll be sad to cover less distance, but we still have to make sure we get into Newport on August 21.
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Thank you for taking us along on your journey with this blog. I wish you, the Seaplex Team, a safe and rewarding journey. I will be keeping you in my prayers.
I’m also praying that you can perceive a way for us to correct and heal the mess we (mankind) have made. It gives me hope that you care enough to devote your graduate studies to this problem.
I look forward to your messages from shipboard!
By: Patricia Klemme "Pat" on July 31, 2009
at 9:43 pm
Hello! I look forward to creating global partnership with you and your team!-
Since I founded “The GP2 Project” over 1 1/2 years ago–a project to: clean up “The Great Pacific Garbage Patch” and create a Healthy and Vibrant Ocean and Planet, now….I’ve seen massive awareness around the globe. Our first ever global green expedition to clean up this “mess” is on March 21-April 14th, 2010.
We will be using green fuels for our ships and then new revolutionary technology to turn the toxic plastic and garbage into energy and new fuel.
I look forward to talking with you when you return.
Much love to your team and our Ocean friends!
Miche Walsh
Founder and Executive Director
The GP2 Project Leader
San Diego, CA
773-981-7529
By: Miche Walsh on August 2, 2009
at 2:30 pm
[...] much higher than I expected. It will be really neat to compare what we’ve seen here with the gyre stations later on in the cruise. [...]
By: SEAPLEX Day 2 « SEAPLEX on August 3, 2009
at 11:51 am
[...] behind. The “new” water in the convergence zone brings new plastic with it, and this is why plastic accumulates there. New plastic comes in and the old plastic stays behind. The whole process works in reverse around [...]
By: Coriolis Force and Convergence Zones « SEAPLEX on August 4, 2009
at 12:01 pm
Is anyone working on publicizing status and information through a map application like Google Earth or Microsoft Bing maps? I see the planned track image above, but my searches have turned up nothing that tries to show the scope of the gyre, or some of the scientific test results, or even the current track of the expedition in a mapping application.
The map applications seem to be a great way to communicate with the world, and also help portray the extent of the issue.
By: Mike on August 5, 2009
at 8:55 am
While at sea, this cruise has very limited internet access. Generally, Scripps research vessels use a system called HiSeasNet to connect to the internet while at sea. But, the SEAPLEX cruise is going out of the range of HiSeasNet. There is internet access available through another system, but it is very expensive. So, we decided that the best way to convey the maximum amount of information using the least amount of bandwidth would be through blogs. However, Project Kaisei, which is helping to fund the SEAPLEX cruise has another ship at sea right now and they do have gps information (http://kaisei.blipback.com). After the cruise returns, there will be a Google Maps application to see the cruise track and view pictures, etc. from different points along the track.
With regards to results, most of the time spent at sea is consumed with collecting and preserving data. None of the data is being analyzed in a quantitative way or interpreted. There won’t be actual results until several months after the cruise returns. This applies to everything from microbial analysis to even something as seemingly straight forward as the abundance of plastic particles. For example, in order to compare the amount of plastics between tows, etc. abundances (not the absolute number of particles, but the number per a certain volume of water) have to be calculated. There are flow meters in the mouths of the net that allow for accurate calculation of the volume of water filtered, but those calculations won’t be done until the cruise returns. Also, all of the sample will have to be examined by hand to make sure that all of the small plastic particles have been counted. This requires looking at the entire sample under a microscope, which is time consuming and can be very difficult while on board a moving ship.
By: Alison Cawood on August 5, 2009
at 9:37 am
[...] area, but the measurements we are taking now will form a baseline for comparison upon reaching the North Pacific Ocean Gyre. It’s mind-boggling for me to see the fine detail that goes into scientific sampling and [...]
By: SEAPLEX Day 4 Part 2 « SEAPLEX on August 5, 2009
at 11:35 am