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

1. "Is plastic pollution accumulating in the 5 major oceanic gyres?"
2. "Knowing that some plastics float and sink, and that ocean waters move, how is plastic pollution distributed around the world vertically, horizontally and seasonally?"
3. "Knowing that plastic pollution photodegrades, chemically degrades, and mechanically breaks into smaller fragments, where do the smallest particles eventually go?"
4. "Do microplastic particles sink?"
5. "Knowing that plastic pollution can be a sponge for many hydrophobic pollutants, do these pollutants desorb, and bioaccumulate inside fish that ingest plastic pollution?"

All research on this site is conducted by the Algalita Marine Research Foundation (AMRF), which is the recognized authority on plastic pollution in the North Pacific Gyre. Upcoming expeditions to the Atlantic gyres and the Travel Trawl Program will provide new insight into the impact of plastic pollution on the world’s oceans.

2010 Expeditions to the Atlantic Gyres

Is there plastic pollution in the 5 gyres, inside other fish species, and what happens to the smallest plastic particles? The Algalita Marine Research Foundation will be joining expeditions to the Sargasso Sea and South Atlantic Gyre in 2010.

North Atlantic – USVI to Bermuda, Jan. 7-18, 2010
North Atlantic - Bermuda to Azores, Jan. 27-Feb. 12, 2010

South Atlantic – Rio de Janeiro to Cape Town, via Tristen de Cunha, Aug. 2010

“What is the surface abundance of plastic pollution in the Sargasso Sea and South Atlantic Gyre?”

We will use a manta trawl to collect 50 surface samples from each of the North and South Atlantic gyres. The trawl, towed behind the vessel at 2.5-3.5 knots, will collect surface debris greater than 333 microns. These samples will be sorted by the AMRF lab into size and type of plastic. Finally we will measure the total weight of plastic pollution compared to the area and volume of the sea we sampled.

“Are surface foraging fish in the Sargasso Sea ingesting micro-plastic particles?”

Foraging nocturnal fish caught during the North and South Atlantic will be preserved until we can dissect them in the AMRF lab. Stomach contents will be sorted and weighed. Tissue samples will be preserved for future analysis for persistent organic pollutants.

“Are micro-plastic particles less than .5mm precipitating to the seafloor?”

We will collect samples of the seafloor in the Sargasso Sea using a gravity corer. These samples will be analyzed for microplastic particles. In past expeditions to the North Pacific Gyre, we have observed that the presence of microplastic particles less than .5mm diminish in our trawls. As a particle becomes smaller, the volume to surface ratio decreases. We hypothesize that the increased surface area of a microplastic particle allows more space for other organisms to accumulate, and may make the particle heavier than seawater.

In order to understand if plastic pollution exists in the 5 gyres, we have built 5 trawls to loan to vessels of opportunity. If you’re sailing through one of the 5 gyres, considering borrowing one of our small research trawls to collect scientific samples. Our new “Suitcase Manta Trawl” and “Winged Trawl” include easy protocols, which can be used by anyone to get valuable data. The objectives and methods are simple:

Have Trawl- Will Travel

Step 1. We send you a trawl with easy instructions
Step 2. You sail, collect samples and dry them out according to our protocols
Step 3. You mail the trawl to the next sailor somewhere in the world
Step 4. We process the samples and import data to 5gyres.org

 

The Suitcase Manta Trawl

The Suitcase Manta Trawl has a 60cm wide mouth that dips 25cm into the sea surface. Tow it behind your vessel for a few miles at 2-3 knots. The removable sock at the end of the net captures what we’re looking for. For shipping, the wings are removed, and the entire trawl is packaged in a medium-size suitcase.

The Winged Trawl

The Winged Trawl has a 40cm wide mouth that dips 25cm into the sea surface. The procedures are all the same. This trawl is easier to transport and store on a sailboat. It can be deployed from the side or rear of the boat, as long as it remains outside of the boat’s wake. Contact us for more information about our protocols and loan program.

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