Our second post of the day comes from Chelsea Rochman. This is Chelsea’s second SEAPLEX post.
Chelsea writes:
Today is day seven of the cruise and we have officially begun our 24-hour sampling periods. We have hit our first of three gyre stations and the chaos has ensued. Sleep is needed, but energy is still high! At the end of the day… it’s running smoothly, whew!
I am Chelsea Rochman and it seems to me that as the nets come in from the surface we are consistently seeing plastic pellets. We have also brought aboard some macro-debris (large pieces of plastic) with fouling communities, composed of benthic (bottom dwelling) organisms, rafting upon them. I think that each person came onto this cruise with a different expectation of just what we might find. Regardless of what we thought previously, it has become clear that plastic debris does exist in the North Pacific Ocean Gyre. As of day five we began to see small plastic debris coming up in the manta net consistently. We have also been plastic watching, as opposed to whale watching, from the bridge and have seen a fair amount of debris of all sizes. As a graduate student whose thesis relies on plastic in the ocean, you would think that seeing plastic in the ocean might be a relief or exciting. However, I can truthfully say that was not the case. As plastics began to float by and come aboard in nets my stomach flip-flopped and I felt legitimately sad. I believed it would be there, but to see it is a different story. While on the way here I thought about how large the ocean really is and how small we actually are. Then, to see our plastic debris in the middle of this large stretch of ocean far from land offers a wake up call for the way us humans have the ability to leave our footprint on remote places on Earth. As a person concerned with the fate of the planet you really have to choose your battles. One cannot say that one issue is more important than the other, but since we are here and this is a battle I have chosen, I would like to talk about it in a little bit more detail. So, let’s talk trash!…
Trash, not only in the form of plastics, has been a problem since man’s earliest times. Since the industrial revolution the amount of debris has accumulated exponentially. Plastic in particular was invented in 1862, and since its invention it has become so widespread because it is cheap, durable, and lightweight. Plastic interestingly enough is made out of one of our most precious and controversial resources: oil. The oil is made into small pre-production pellets, a.k.a. resin pellets or nurdles, of various kinds to be melted down into any kind of plastic product. Many of our products that we purchase have a triangle on the bottom of the item with a number in it (1-7). This number is indicative of the type of resin pellets that were melted down in the form of say a bottle or butter tub. The next time you use a plastic product look for the number and you can tell what kind of plastic it is: #1-PET, #2-HDPE, #3-PVC, #4-LDPE, #5-PP, #6-PS, and #7 is a combo of many types. The purpose of this number is to provide guidance for what to do with that item when you no longer need it. None of these numbers indicate that the plastic belongs in the oceans.
There are four general things civilizations do with trash: recycle, burn, dump, and waste minimization. In terms of plastic the ideal way to handle it is waste minimization, which would include reducing and reusing. The next best step is to recycle if the city that you live in allows it. Some cities will only allow you to recycle certain types of plastics while others enforce recycling of all materials. It is important to know what your city will allow. Aside from taking proper care of your own waste there are other ways to help reduce this issue: educate others about what they can do with their trash, participate in a local cleanup, or volunteer for an organization that has a plastic debris campaign.
I heard a quote this week that I would like to share, “it does not make sense to make disposable items out of a permanent material.” Plastics do not biodegrade, they photodegrade, but the light does not degrade them away, it simply degrades them into smaller and smaller pieces. The quote “plastic is forever” had some truth to it. It is true that plastics can be really important and necessary. I am in no way arguing that plastic is evil and should be removed from this Earth. However, we have become a “throw away” society out of convenience. One of my favorite quotes to live by applies to plastics, “everything in moderation.”
Chelsea Rochman uses a dip net to collect specimens for laboratory study while at the same time keeping an eye out for any large pieces of marine debris.
SEAPLEX researchers deploy the Oozeki trawl. They began an intensive sampling phase after arriving at the North Pacific Ocean Gyre on August 8, 2009.
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Oh! Fouling communities! I’m curious to see pictures! Are the foulers squirts, bryozoans, hydroids, or what? Fascinating stuff!
By: jebyrnes on August 9, 2009
at 3:20 pm
So far, I’ve heard about barnacles, anemones, and hydroids. There should be some pictures soon!
By: Alison Cawood on August 9, 2009
at 7:55 pm
Great job, everyone. It is interesting to see the changes in what you find as you move throughout the ocean. I feel the same as Chelsea, in her comments about being sad that we are not doing more to prevent the trashing of our oceans. Very informative, and your comments are excellent. Continued success to you all — be safe, and keep telling us all about what you find.
Bill Francis, President, Algalita Marine Research Foundation
By: William Francis on August 9, 2009
at 5:38 pm
I found this site by reading an article on AOL one day and have marked it as a favorite. It’s become addicting to both my 7 year old son, Jaden, and I. We can not go a day without checking what new discoveries your crew has made. I teach 3rd grade in the inner city of Chicago, and plan to introduce your mission to my students at the beginning of the school year to kick off our recycling mission! I must admit that I am living vicariously through you guys- I wish I was doing what you are! I know it’s hard work, but be pleased to know it’s not going unoticed. After reading your blog each day, it’s made us so much more aware of the materials passing through our hands each day. It makes me sad to know that our garbage is out there in the beautiful ocean! We have made it our new mission to spread the word. Too many people believe “out of site, out of mind”. I hope you keep up the good work and plan to make a documentary that can be shared on the major networks when you return so more people will see where all our trash is REALLY going!
By: deborah on August 9, 2009
at 7:22 pm
Is the plastic only on the surface of the ocean or is it also underwater? If the plastic is also underwater, do you know deep plastic can be found?
-CVHS student
By: Arturo Martinez on August 9, 2009
at 10:22 pm
We aren’t really sure. This is one of the things that is being investigated by the SEAPLEX scientists.
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By: Alison Cawood on August 10, 2009
at 11:50 am
Fascinating endeavor…
By: Rick on August 10, 2009
at 12:21 am
Happy you all are doing this needed dirty work. BTW, consistency and perseverance – those two words hammered in my brain like a song during my assistant days.
By: Zulu on August 10, 2009
at 2:18 am
Many thanks to all of you for taking the time to contribute to this blog. My colleagues and I have been following along with great interest.
Can I make a small request? When you start discussing the gyre trawls, can you give more information on some of the technical details? For example, mesh size(s) of the net(s), how long you are trawling, and at what depths? Without this information, it’s difficult to put how much plastic is coming out of the trawls into the right context. Also, would be _wonderful_ to post a photo of the entire contents of a cod-end, rather than just a few interesting bits.
I realize that your audience is largely the general public, but I suspect that you also have a large following in the oceanographic research community. Just hoping that you keep us in mind. I thank you in advance for your consideration!
By: Amanda Whitmire on August 10, 2009
at 8:31 am
This is supposed to be a public interest blog, so we haven’t been putting too much of that in. This information will be shared with the scientific community after the cruise when the data has been fully analyzed and interpreted. However, I’ll see if I can give you a few of those details. The bongo nets are 202um mesh, the manta net is 333um mesh, and I think that the Oozeki trawl is 505um. The Oozeki trawls go as long as possible (I think that the ideal is 1 hour at depth), but that may get shortened due to at sea time constraints. The manta and the Bongo tows use standard CalCOFI sampling procedures (http://www.calcofi.org/cruises/handbook.html). The tow volumes won’t be calculated until after the cruise returns. I’ll ask about an entire cod end, but as I am sure you know, to most people that just looks like a jar full of goop, so I’m not sure how the communications people will feel about it!
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By: Alison Cawood on August 10, 2009
at 11:46 am
Chelsea:
We and the Girls in Ocean Science are following your adventures. Great work, we look forward to more great, thought provoking post. Good Luck!!
By: Michele and Alex on August 10, 2009
at 9:28 am
Is that my trash? Great job guys, now I’m gonna think green and put my trash where it belongs…….the trash can.
By: Kenny on August 10, 2009
at 10:51 am
I am amazed to see how many debris are there out in the ocean. It made me think we really need to form a serious plan on preventing it from happening all over the world. Ocean is not a trash! I am also fascinated how the eco-system are resolving around the garage especially sea life! Imagine laying eggs on a piece of small plastic! We need to find a better way to recycle these type of materials. GO GREEN!
By: April on August 10, 2009
at 2:27 pm
Jesse Dubler, Great work! Looking forward to see more of your blogs of your adventure!
By: April on August 10, 2009
at 2:31 pm
Dear Chelsea,
I’m interested in what types of marine mammals have been spotted so far? Have you observed any direct interactions with plastics?
Hi Chels!
By: zachary Schakner on August 10, 2009
at 10:02 pm
In the gyre, they don’t really expect to see many shallow feeding organisms, because it is not a productive environment. So far, they have seen sperm whales and some as yet unidentified beaked whales. Josh will be writing a post in a couple of days with more information.
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By: Alison Cawood on August 12, 2009
at 1:16 pm
I am both horrified and fascinated by the fact that there is all that plastic out there. Thanks for making the trip and showing the world that all that plastic didn’t just “disappear”. I have a couple of questions: Have you had many whale encounters? I’ve read the book by Thor Heyerdahl, Kontiki and in it, he mentions that out in the open ocean, many sea creatures would come to the boat out of what seemed like curiosity (boats not being a common sight in the area). Has this happened to you? Thanks. (Note to Chelsea: Very, very proud I am. Very, very proud.)
By: Debbie Bushong on August 10, 2009
at 10:56 pm
In the gyre, they don’t really expect to see many shallow feeding organisms, because it is not a productive environment. So far, they have seen sperm whales and some as yet unidentified beaked whales, all deep feeders. Josh will be writing a post in a couple of days with more information.
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By: Alison Cawood on August 12, 2009
at 1:16 pm
Your blogs are quite informative but are giving me (dare i say us readers) the impression that you are not finding the amount of garbage that Moore did? Please comment. What kind of follow up field study is on deck after this one. And finally are you having luck exploring a way to track the garbage. Thanks all.
By: Michael on August 15, 2009
at 12:35 am
Honestly, at this point we have no idea how much plastic we have seen, so it is impossible to compare it to anything in a meaningful way. Until they return and all of the counts of the plastic particles are completed and all of the tow volumes for the various samples have been calculated, we can’t say how much plastic there is in a quantitative way. Right now, all that we know is that they are seeing plastic, but what one person thinks is a lot of plastic might not be so much compared to what another person thinks. That is why you can’t compare qualitative observations of this kind. Also, depending on the exact methods used to collect the samples, it may not ever be possible to directly compare the SEAPLEX results to those of Captain Moore. Different types of nets towed over different distances will give different kinds of data, even if you are seeing the exact same pattern. That is part of what makes science tricky! We won’t really have a clear picture of how much plastic was seen by the SEAPLEX cruise until several months after the end of the cruise.
By: Alison Cawood on August 15, 2009
at 2:38 pm
As Charlie Sheen says, this atilrce is “WINNING!”
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at 7:15 pm
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at 1:06 am
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at 11:43 am