[sciam] microplastic in seas

[Adam A. Altman]

reports on the quantity of microplastics (<1mm in diameter) that are taking over the ocean.

most of this comes from particles lost from clothing during wash  (polyester, acrylic, nylon, fleece are all plastic) and entering the sea through treated sewage dumps.

as you would expect, this is bad news for the creatures that live there.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=oceans-teem-with-tiny-plastic-parti-11-11-20

[Lindsay Hong]

As my nephew said when my sister explained to him what a "declining population" is...that is sad! :-(

Lindsay Hong
Yale University 2008
(808) 391-4664

[Lindsay Hong]

Related TEDx Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROW9F-c0kIQ.

[Adam Altman]

Awesome video Linds. In the original spirit of NN, here's the salient points so that the rest dont have to click through:

• 7.25 Million Tons of Extractable plastic is floating in the great pacific gyre.
  
• Estimate it would take 80k years to clean up traditionally if using one standard troll boat.
  
• 18 yo kid has a plan to extract it nearly all (99%) within 5 years, PROFITABLY.
• Autonomous filtering stations are anchored to a fixed position in the ocean.
• Booms connect the stations and force the water to the stations using ocean currents but no external energy
• resulting captured plastic would be worth over $500m on the recycling market.

This was in 2012.  Anyone wanna chase down how he's doing?

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[Jasmine Tsai]

I didn't read this, but apparently it didn't go quite as well.

http://deepseanews.com/2013/03/the-ocean-cleanup-the-newest-of-the-new-plans-to-remove-marine-plastic/

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Jasmine Y. Tsai
+1 415 812 2219