Kids Take Action Against Ocean Plastic
Despite the vastness of Earth’s oceans, plastic pollutants are turning up everywhere, from the deep sea to the Arctic ice pack. In this short film from filmmaker Chris Hanson, 17 Hawaiian students study the impact of plastic pollution on their local beaches.
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch
It’s not an island twice the size of Texas. But it is severely impacting marine life and human health… and incredibly hard to study. “Henderson Island is a tiny, uninhabited island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, 3,000 miles from major population centers. Though it is half the size of Manhattan, more than 19 […]
Microplastics
Theresa May’s new environment plan sets ambitious goals for plastic waste reduction. But there’s lots of room for slippage. One goal is to eradicate all “avoidable” plastic waste, though it’s not clear how “avoidable” will be defined. A few concrete measures are now in place, such as the 5p plastic bag charge being extended to cover all […]
What is a gyre?
In this episode of OCEAN HEROES, Anna Cummins and Marcus Eriksen of 5 Gyres Institute explain: WHAT IS A GYRE? Learn more about how you can help protect our oceans at http://oneworldoneocean.org. Visit the Student Led Research Module of the TMA BlueTech Grade Six curriculum for curriculum connections.
Trash Cleaning Robots
The following are examples of trash pollution solutions using engineering. FRED is a large, unmanned, semi-autonomous ocean-faring robot powered with renewable energy, designed to clean up harmful floating debris from marine environments such as bays, rivers, and oceans. Clear Blue Sea is currently prototyping FRED subsystems with help from the San Diego community. Meet FRED. […]
Trash Vortex: How Plastic Pollution Is Choking the World’s Oceans by Danielle Smith-Llera
Millions of tons of plastic slip into oceans every year. Some floats and travels slowly with the currents, endangering the health of marine animals. The rest is hardly visible but is far more dangerous. Tiny bits of plastic sprinkle the ocean’s surface or mix into the sandy seafloor and beaches. It ends up inside birds, […]
Plastic Ahoy: investigating the Great Pacific Garbage Patch by Patricia Newman
Plastic: it’s used to make everything from drink bottles and bags to toys and toothbrushes. But what happens when it ends up where it doesn’t belong―like in the Pacific Ocean? How does it affect ocean life? Is it dangerous? And exactly how much is out there? A team of researchers went on a scientific expedition […]
National Geographic Kids: Plastic in the Ocean
Plastic is an amazing man-made material – it’s cheap to produce and has many uses! But half of the plastic we produce is designed to be used just once and then thrown away – and even plastic that can be reused or recycled gets chucked out, too! Much of our unwanted plastic ends up in the ocean – around […]