Project Kaisei Explores Plastic Vortex in the Pacific Ocean

Because the floating garbage pile is constantly in flux, nobody really knows how big it is, but some estimates suggest its mass is double the size of Texas.

clipped from www.moremarin.com Project Kaisei has launched. The group of scientists, environmentalists and ocean lovers left the SF Bay yesterday on an expedition to study a gigantic floating ‘plastic vortex’ of trash that floats in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.  The group–led by Marinite Mary Crowley–is trying to figure out what type of trash is there, how it got there and ways to remove and recycle it. The gigantic trash heap has been growing for years–the result of our consumption of non-recyclable materials–and contributes to death of marine life and pollution of the oceans. Because the floating garbage pile is constantly in flux, nobody really knows how big it is, but some estimates suggest its mass is double the size of Texas. You can follow the action on the Project Kaisei website where they’ve set up a special Google Earth link to track the project’s progress. (photo of boat courtesy of Ocean Voyages Institute; photo of trash courtesy of Whole Travel Blog)

Sylvia Earle: How to Protect the Oceans

Legendary ocean researcher Sylvia Earle (TED Prize winner!) shares astonishing images of the ocean, and shocking stats about its rapid decline, as she makes her TED Prize wish: that we will join her in protecting the vital blue heart of the planet by any and all means possible.

Sylvia Earle discusses our need for developing deep probing submarines for ocean exploration. She also discusses how excess carbon dioxide is speeding up global warming and how hundreds of millions of tons of plastic and debris ends up in the oceans, undermining our planet’s chemistry.

If “business as usual” continues, our planet is in deep trouble. All is not lost…IF we act now.