Background-
Pacific Gyre Expedition 2009 Voyage #1The quantity of plastic pollution in the ocean is increasing rapidly, paralleling the rapid rise in global plastic production. Each time the ORV Alguita crew collects samples from the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre, we find that the abundance of plastic has increased since our previous visit. In previous research voyages we have found a very high abundance of plastic in the area of the gyre that has come to be known as "The Eastern Pacific Garbage Patch", but we suspect that the contamination is much more widespread. This summer we will have the opportunity to test this hypothesis during the first voyage of our four month research expedition. During this voyage the ORV Alguita research crew will be at sea for over six weeks as they sail west from California past the Northern Hawaiian Islands as far as the International Date Line (180 degrees longitude) to sample areas of the Pacific Ocean previously un-sampled for plastic marine debris. We will be collecting samples of plastic debris, plankton and fish to analyze back in our laboratory to better understand not only the quantity of plastic debris pollution in remote areas of the ocean, but also the impacts the plastic is having as it is consumed by marine animals. Below is a map that shows the area where ORV Alguita has sampled for plastic pollution over the past 10 years. The first voyage of the summer expedition hopes to extend the study area all the way to the International Date Line at 180 degrees longitude.
Meet the Crew!
Get to know the six dedicated crew members that will be corresponding with you during the upcoming voyage. Find out about how they got involved in oceanographic research, and why they are willing to leave land for six weeks to study plastic marine debris in remote areas of the Pacific Ocean. Click here to read more http://orvalguita.googlepages.com/meetthecrew!
If you would like to post a comment or question to the crew click here!
33 comments:
Welcome aboard to all Ship-2-Shore participants! Please post your comments and questions about the upcoming voyage here. When you click "Publish Your Comment" it will be on it's way to the ship's crew but will not appear here immediately. Check back, the ship's crew will answer questions as soon as they can, though please be patient as the crew is very busy preparing for the voyage.
How to post a question or comment
1) Type your question or comment into the "Leave your comment" field
2)Under "Choose an identity" select "anonymous".
3) Include the;
a. Name of your school
b. State and country your school is located in
c. Your grade level
d. If you want to include your name (this is optional) please ONLY include your first name.
If you would like to post a comment or question to a specific crew member below is a link to the crew list for the 2009 Summer Expedition.
http://orvalguita.googlepages.com/meetthecrew!
Good luck on your voyage, and we hope you'll find some useful information to make our environment better.
a. Los Angeles High school
b. Los Angeles, California
c. 11th
from: Vilen, Alex, Rony
Students of Los Angeles Senior High School =]]]
Hope you have a good time on your voyage and enjoy the magnificence of the great ocean, as well as the beauty of the underwater adventures and the great sea.
We are from Los Angeles Senior High School and we were just wondering what are the animals that are most affected by the plastic debris you find on your expedition?
i would go nuts how would u keep yourself busy when you start thinking that you wanna throw your shipmate over
Los Angeles high
Leo
11A
Further comments from L.A. Senior High School. We are curious to find out about the lifestyle that you inherit while on your expedition. (i.e. where does your food come from? do you do laundry? What happens if a crew member is seriously ill or injured?)
Good luck from Los Angeles Senior High School! Bon voyage!~ V(^0^)V
Hi we are from Los Angeles High School and we both are 10th graders
and the school is located in Los Angeles California USA
Our questions are when you guys go up on the voyage, do you have confidence to success and what types of discoveries are you looking for to fulfill your purposes? Thank you and i hope you will suceed and contribute a beneficial development to our world.
Good luck on your expedition and I hope your research will help save the lives of the marine animals that are affected by the floating debris of plastic. :]
We are amazed by the dedication and commitment you have towards your research and work. We wish you all good luck and we'll be looking forward to your results.
Kudos from Los Angeles High School!
Thank you for the kind wishes and good questions from Los Angeles High School. We are busy preparing the research vessel for departure but we will get back to your questions as soon as we head out to sea!
Dear Christina,
Are you nervous for your trip?
Good Luck!
From,
Kayla Woodlake elementary CA,USA
Woodlake elementrey school
CA Los Angeles
Fourth grade
Dear Joel Phaschal,
Please take many pictures of the life
and plastic underwater.What pictures are you eager take?
Woodlake Elementary
CA,Los Angeles
Grade 4
This is Joe, Sarah, and Courtney. We wanted to know what you will eat on a daily basis. We wish you all good luck. =D =P =O
Where are you going to end up on the end of your voyage?
From,
Kevin
Woodlake Elementary
CA, USA
4th grade
How do you know where to sail? If you sail again, will it be for a longer or shorter amount of time?
Good luck
Woodlake california united states
Captain Moore,
i wish you best of luck and this is my question:
Were you the captain on the last journey?
from the USA California Woodlake school
Woodlake AVE. Elementary C.A., Woodland Hills 4 grade
Hello Christiana I am Kyyam. I wish you good luck on your offshore adventure. I hope you return soon and be able to tell everyone about your sea adventure. Your website is inspiring and I wantedto know what made you think of it. I would love to help and learn more soon.
GOODLUCK!
Love ,
Kyyam
Holly Gray,
Hi I"m Alex and I'm from Woodlake Elementary in California,United states and I have a question. Are you more nervous or excited? Good Luck!
Why is your ship made of aluminum but not other materials?
Posted by Sharon in Woodlake ave. 4th grade School CA
Do you do this for fun or for a living?
Woodlake Ele. School
CA Los Angeles
4th grade
Dear Christina Boerger,
I love what you do and I want to know
that if you enjoy it? I wish you good
luck.
Holly Gray,
How much food will you bring on the trip?
Evan, Woodlake Elementary 4th grade CA
Woodlake Ave. Elementary School California USA
4 Grade Ariana
Hi Christiana, I hope you return safe and sound. I wish you good luck. You sound very nice. I am just wondering what are you going to eat. I wish you the best.
Sincerely,
Ariana
Woodlake Elem. L.A.,Ca.Grade 4
Dear Drew,
I thunk it's really cool that you get to film videos of marine organisms and explore the ocean. What were the most intersting organisms you filmed? Will you be taking any videos of how trash affects underwater ecosystems?
Jeff Ernest,
What kind of cammera will you use?
Evan, Woodlake Elementary 4th grade
Holly Gray
I wish you all the best in your research!!
I will be working with my kids at school tomorrow so i hope i will be able to put here their comments.
warmest regards
Marcela Hernández León,
Escuela Nº41. Kinder 5th
Montevideo,Uruguay
The East Hills 4H Green Teens, San Leandro CA (aka members of the Plastic Eliminators Project) wish you the best of luck as you set sail.
Many of us met Marcus and Anna when they stopped off in Marin on May 30th. We got rides on the raft made from bottles. So cool! Marcus told us how he dried fish in the sun for food at one point.
Do you plan to catch and eat any of the fish out there? Will you test them for the presence of chemical residues from plastic ingestion?
Hi HOlly hope you are doing great.
Here they are some question that my kids want to ask you.
warmest regards
Marcela
Hi Holly, how you doing?-says Mariana Moreira
Hi Holly, how many food did you get on your boat? Are you planning to feed on fishes that you might fish?- says Mateo Leiros
Hi, from where did you get the water that you have to drik?-says Facudo Boggi
Hi,how many plastic have you seen over the ocean at the moment?
Are you planning to take it from the ocean?
how does it feel to be on a ship in the middle of the ocean?
-says Santiago Nunez
Escuela Nº41
Montevideo, Uruguay.Kinder 5
East Hills 4-H
San Leandro CA
i found a web sight that dose not make high remarks about you. including the amount of plastic that you have collected while trolling. they say in 24 hours of non stop trolling you found a minuscule amount of plastic. i would like to know some actual facts. the sigh is called WWW.savetheplasticbag.org
HI! I just had two quick questions.
First: Do you guys do any research by scuba diving?
Second: What kind of an education do you need to be a scientist on a research vessel like the alguita? like, do you need a master in marine biology, bachelor's of science, etc?
Thanks!
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