September 28-29, 2007
We hadn't seen another ship for four days, the radar had objects that looked like ships at a distance, but on closer approach were rain squalls. This morning we passed the freighter Pacific Logger, heading northeast. The wind shifts about 20 degrees around these squalls and the wind velocity rises and falls, so the helsman must be alert. Now we have finised getting all the samples we could and are relaxing, enjoying our sailboat. The climate is becomming tropical. We are sailing good and fast and getting pounded and sprayed by the seas like we were in a carwash. Some of the crew members have been enjoying letting themselves get sprayed by breaking waves. The more we look at and enjoy this part of the ocean, the sadder we feel about the damage we are doing to her and her creatures, which, at the end of the day, will have consequences for us humans. We have just gotten a visit from our first Brown booby, which flies around Alguita diving on flying fish scared up by her wake. Tomorrow we will arrive in Hilo with a mind set completely different than the day we embarked on this mission. Just seeing how much waste plastic is floating in these waters had awakened a desire to try to do something for our planet and for ourselves as well. I'm Sure each one of us will change our habits in our use and discarding of non-biodfegradable plastics.
Lorena M. Rios Mendoza, PhD.
Septiembre 28-29 del 2007.
No hemos visto ningun barco en los ultimos cuatro dias, el radar nos marca objetos a la distancia que parecieran barcos pero no, solamente son lluvias. Sin embargo, esta manana vimos un carguero el "Pacific Logger" llendo hacia el noreste. El viento cambia unos 20 grados alrededor de las lluvias y la velocidad del viento esta aumentando y disminuyendo, asi que la persona que esta a cargo del piloto, debe estar muy alerta. Por ahora, ya terminamos de hacer todas las tomas de muestras que pudimos, por lo que todos nos encontramos en un estado de relaxacion disfruntando del velero. El clima empieza a sentirse caluroso. La velociadad a la que estamos veleando en bastante buena y rapida, con lo que tambien estamos teniendo chapusones de agua de mar. Es como si el Alguita estuviera en un lavadero de carros. Algunos miembros de la tripulacion ya ha sentido este agradable salpicon de agua. Mientras mas observamos y disfrutamos esta porcion de oceano, mas nos sentimos culpables por el dano que le estamos haciendo al oceano y a sus habitantes, que al final de cuentas todo va a recaer en nosostros, los humanos. Algunas veces tenemos visitas por parte de las aves marinas, que vuelan alrededor de la Alguita como investigando que somos o quienes somos. Manana arribaremos a HIlo, Hawaii, con una mentalidad totalmente diferente al dia que nos embarcamos a esta mision. Tan solo el ver cuanto desperdicio plastico hay flotando dentro de estas aguas nos ha despertado un claro sentimiento de tratar de hacer algo por la naturaleza en general y por nosotros mismos. Estoy segura de que cada uno de nosotros cambiara sus habitos con relacion al uso y desuso del plastico no biodegradable.
Lorena M. Rios Mendoza, PhD
1 comment:
I'm not a chemist at all, but I wonder if there is such a thing as a bacterial agent that can convert our hydrocarbon-based plastics into some other less inert form, that is, into some form that will actually break down.
What started me thinking was just trying to picture solutions. The ocean is far too vast for a collection program. Is it too vast for distribution of plastic-eating bacteria? The same forces that collect and concentrate the plastic might be used to concentrate some mythical cleaner-upper substance where it can be most useful. Of course, I have no idea if such a substance exists, much less if the enormous distances can be overcome.
Of course, owners of plastic sailboats who transit the area might not be so gladdened at the addition of plastic-eating substances to the ocean!
Hmmm...
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