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

28.13S,106.18W

The wind begins to howl and the seas follow.  I left my hatch open and awoke to a splash of cold seawater on my back.   Outside the mainsail was reefed and the yankee and head sail were stowed.    30 knot gusts while crew are clipped in is a stark contrast to the balmy motionless sea we swam in two days ago.  The samples from the trawls are fascinating, and very different. 

Yesterday, before the waves rose, we pulled in the hi-speed trawl and found dozens of monofilament fibers inside.  Also, small multi-colored particles peppered the inside of the net, much smaller than the usual fragments.  This is what calm seas bring to the surface.  The nylon fibers are much closer to the density of seawater than the typical polyethylene fragments we find, so given enough time those fibers will slowly rise to the surface. 

We've just pulled in the hi-speed trawl after a turbulent night of sailing.  There are no fibers, and few of the smaller particles.  Heavy seas churn plastic pollution beneath the surface. The big question here is, “What is the effect of sea state on the vertical distribution of plastic pollution in the water column?”  Without this answer, we cannot know for sure if what’s on the surface represents what hovers a few meters below.