5 Gyres - Understanding Plastic Pollution Through Exploration, Education, and Action

Scientists, educators and adventure-seekers are being offered the rare opportunity to join these expeditions to research the fate of debris generated by one of the most tragic natural disasters in 2010, the Japanese tsunami.

We will sail over 7,000 miles to study the impacts of plastic pollution and tsunami generated debris on the marine environment. This expeditions aboard the Sea Dragon will give participants a direct role in advancing research into one of our time’s most pressing environmental concerns – Plastic Marine Pollution.

We will depart from Kwajalein Atoll, a unique location in the world, historically known for it’s significance in WWII, then later as a headquarters for US nuclear testing in the Marshal Islands. Today, this atoll is a historical landmark and hosts a vital natural landscape for marine biodiversity research. From here we will sail into the poorly understood Western Garbage Patch of the North Pacific Gyre, which is the opposite side from the well-known Eastern Garbage Patch. After collecting sufficient data from the Western Garbage Patch, we will then spend a week on land in Japan in preparation for the fast sail to catch up with the Tsunami Debris Field.

Estimates of ten’s of thousands of tons of debris washed away from the coastline of Japan on March 11th, 2011 after an earthquake occurred offshore, resulting in the worst tsunami on record in that country. The material infrastructure in a developed country was carried out to sea, including cars, boats, homes and also many victims. One year later we will expect to find the field of floating debris to be half-way across the North Pacific Ocean. We will conduct multiple transects through this area to survey the condition and type of debris, as well as the rate of growth of marine organisms and presence of invasive species.

“We’ll be searching for large debris from the tsunami, but also skimming the ocean surface to better understand the quantity and distribution of plastic pollution throughout the North Pacific Gyre,” says Marcus Eriksen, Executive Director of the 5 Gyres Institute, who will lead the expedition. “We suspect that the tsunami has generated plenty of debris, but knowing the precise origin and date of the disaster, we can study how materials degrade, persist and transport invasive organisms in the marine environment.”

The expedition is open to anyone, regardless of sailing experience. A total of 13 people will be aboard the Sea Dragon, including four professional crewmembers. On this voyage, new crewmembers will earn their sea legs and rough hands hauling in lines and hoisting sails, but also be doing research side-by-side with scientists, taking part in all aspects of the expedition, from operating a trawl to collecting micro-plastic bits to hauling aboard larger items from the tsunami.

In the end we will better answer some vital questions about marine pollution. We’ll better understand the fate of debris washed out to sea, rates of colonization by marine life, and the ability of plastic to transport invasive organisms from one continent to another. We’ll study microplastics in particular to understand the spatial distribution across the North Pacific, as well as the pollutants that absorb into plastic particles.

For information about the expedition, please contact Marcus Eriksen, PhD 323-395-1843.

Scientists, educators and adventure-seekers are being offered the rare opportunity to join these expeditions to research the fate of debris generated by one of the most tragic natural disasters in 2010, the Japanese tsunami.

We will sail over 7,000 miles to study the impacts of plastic pollution and tsunami generated debris on the marine environment. This expedition aboard the Sea Dragon will give participants a direct role in advancing research into one of our time’s most pressing environmental concerns – Plastic Marine Pollution.

We will depart from Kwajalein Atoll, a unique location in the world, historically known for it’s significance in WWII, then later as a headquarters for US nuclear testing in the Marshal Islands. Today, this atoll is a historical landmark and hosts a vital natural landscape for marine biodiversity research. From here we will sail into the poorly understood Western Garbage Patch of the North Pacific Gyre, which is the opposite side from the well-known Eastern Garbage Patch. After collecting sufficient data from the Western Garbage Patch, we will then spend a week on land in Japan in preparation for the fast sail to catch up with the Tsunami Debris Field.

Estimates of ten’s of thousands of tons of debris washed away from the coastline of Japan on March 11th, 2011 after an earthquake occurred offshore, resulting in the worst tsunami on record in that country. The material infrastructure in a developed country was carried out to sea, including cars, boats, homes and also many victims. One year later we will expect to find the field of floating debris to be half-way across the North Pacific Ocean. We will conduct multiple transects through this area to survey the condition and type of debris, as well as the rate of growth of marine organisms and presence of invasive species.

“We’ll be searching for large debris from the tsunami, but also skimming the ocean surface to better understand the quantity and distribution of plastic pollution throughout the North Pacific Gyre,” says Marcus Eriksen, Executive Director of the 5 Gyres Institute, who will lead the expedition. “We suspect that the tsunami has generated plenty of debris, but knowing the precise origin and date of the disaster, we can study how materials degrade, persist and transport invasive organisms in the marine environment.”

The expedition is open to anyone, regardless of sailing experience. A total of 13 people will be aboard the Sea Dragon, including four professional crewmembers. On this voyage, new crewmembers will earn their sea legs and rough hands hauling in lines and hoisting sails, but also be doing research side-by-side with scientists, taking part in all aspects of the expedition, from operating a trawl to collecting micro-plastic bits to hauling aboard larger items from the tsunami.

In the end we will better answer some vital questions about marine pollution. We’ll better understand the fate of debris washed out to sea, rates of colonization by marine life, and the ability of plastic to transport invasive organisms from one continent to another. We’ll study microplastics in particular to understand the spatial distribution across the North Pacific, as well as the pollutants that absorb into plastic particles.

For information about the expedition, please contact Marcus Eriksen, PhD 323-395-1843.

In 2014 we will sail a boat made out of a whole lot of plastic straws across the bottom of the North Atlantic ocean!