Expedition To Explore an Alaska-Sized Plastic "Island"

Peace Corps Online writes "An expedition called Project Kaisei has departed bound for the Great Pacific Garbage Patch — a huge 'island' of plastic debris in the Pacific Ocean estimated to be the size of Alaska (some estimates place it at ten times that size). The expedition will study the impact of the waste on marine life, and research methods to clean up the vast human-created mess in the Pacific. The BBC quotes Ryan Yerkey, the project's chief of operations: 'Every piece of trash that is left on a beach or ends up in our rivers or estuaries and washes out to the sea is an addition to the problem, so we need people to be the solution.' The garbage patch occupies a large and relatively stationary region of the North Pacific Ocean bound by the North Pacific Gyre, a remote area commonly referred to as the horse latitudes. The rotational pattern created by the North Pacific Gyre draws in waste material from across the North Pacific Ocean, including the coastal waters off North America and Japan. As material is captured in the currents, wind-driven surface currents gradually move floating debris toward the center, trapping it in the region. 'You are talking about quite a bit of marine debris but it's not a solid mass,' says Yerkey. 'Twenty years from now we can't be harvesting the ocean for trash. We need to get it out but we need to also have people make those changes in their lives to stop the problem from growing and hopefully reverse the course.'"

Hrmm

[acehole]

Scientists estimate that at least 30% of the bulk is made up of Collectors edition Daikatana boxes.

Sealand #2!

[rel4x]

Gentlemen, grab the closest hairdryer. The time has come to melt the plastic, and make our own nation!

Re:Hrmm

[Drakkenmensch]

Scientists estimate that at least 30% of the bulk is made up of Collectors edition Daikatana boxes.

The remaining 70% is made of coffee-stained AOL disks.

Serves a purpose

[will_die]

The plastic is not going to waste. It is protecting the inhabitant of Mu from various cosmic and ultraviolet rays.

Re:Its mostly invisible to human eye

[Anonymous Coward]

Actually, disagreeing with scientists gets you flogged as a Christian, but that's a whole different matter

Re:Just the Pacific?

[MosesJones]

OK, where is the Great Atlantic Garbage patch?

New Jersey

The first order of business

[The Wooden Badger]

Go through and find all the messages in bottles. We've got to see if these poor guys are still alive.

Re:Serves a purpose

[Anonymous Coward]

It seems a bit ironic that a post about waste plastic floating freely is followed by a sig about Michael Jackson's death.

Re:Wouldn't this make a good source of fossil fuel

[Verdatum]

To quote George Carlin, "...and if it's true that plastic is not degradable, well, the planet will simply incorporate plastic into a new paradigm: the earth plus plastic. The earth doesn't share our prejudice towards plastic. Plastic came out of the earth. The earth probably sees plastic as just another one of its children. Could be the only reason the earth allowed us to be spawned from it in the first place. It wanted plastic for itself. Didn't know how to make it. Needed us. Could be the answer to our age-old egocentric philosophical question, "Why are we here?" Plastic...asshole. So, the plastic is here, our job is done, we can be phased out now."

Re:Wouldn't this make a good source of fossil fuel

[Vinegar Joe]

Because most of that pollution has come from western society, dumbass. Just how many Chinese and Indians do you think are chucking milk jugs and water bottles into the ocean?

BWAHAHAHA! You've never been to either China or India, have you?

Re:Sealand #2!

[Psmylie]

And lo, a million geeks rushed out to form their own nation

travelling by whatever craft they could find that would float

by sailboat and barge, by raft and by dinghy

And, when they arrived at the great floating sea of garbage

The call went out:

"Use your hairdryers, use your heatguns!

"Push the mass to the center, melt it together!

"Soon, we shal have an island paradise of our own!"

And the geeks let up a mighty cheer

Until one, far in the back, raised the ominous question,

"So, where's the outlet?"