Inside the Plastic Vortex

A groundbreaking Scripps voyage led by students helps define a rising environmental threat.
This video was produced for Scripps Institution of Oceanography's FREE, award-winning, explorations e-magazine.
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[@scrippsoceanography]

Excited that this video was selected to show at the Fifth International Marine Debris Conference in Hawaii in March 2011!

[@Terabass]

Hey guys great job. I found your stuff on Google Earth, and it's god that someone is checking out this mess.

[@Divinoamor]

That's what I see to be the only motivation for clearing that mess up.

[@TheProjectKaisei]

Ocean Voyage Institute is making a HUGE effort to clean up this mess. They are currently raising funds to go the North Pacific Gyre this summer with a team of volunteers to collect the plastic and trash that has accumulated there, as well as researching environmentally friendly ways to dispose of it. Please help save our oceans and the wildlife that live there by googling “dream sail raffle” and visiting our website, as well as posting it on your pages!

[@johnnyhuff148]

They talk like they're from that SNL skit "the Californians" did she say - "it's lok reallah sahd". Bet they jam the Dave Mathews Band, when they're heading back to shore after the day's catch (of plastic).

[@decycle1]

If we could engineer away to turn those plastic flakes into gasoline "The Market "would create a demand and that stuff would become a commodity and then the process would revers. after all plastic is petroleum based.It is just a matter of perception

[@Andrewlohbihler]

So what is the solution? I wish I could get my PhD studying the "great Pacific disaster". It seems that the fish are happy riding on the garbage, so what is the problem? If they die of pollutants moving through the food chain, so what? Also, zebra mussels did a good job clearing our great lakes, so maybe nature can disintegrate this garbage too.

[@lemansmatze]

Saving the ocean - wearing addidas clothes^^ (4:28 min)

[@faizahmed3620]

So ?

[@CriticizePerfection]

why are you so happy not great happy situation

[@butchholland4262]

Why can't you start a online fundraiser to pay for fuel, Then use shrimp boats with fine nets and skim the surface. You won't get close to all the plastic but it's a start. Sure small creatures will be caught but it's the price we pay. You can study all you want but some how we need to solve the problem. If I had a boat I would do it. Just start somewhere, others will follow. Or we can talk about it for another decade?

[@Divinoamor]

If you want that debris cleared out, find a way to make money out of it. How can it be transformed from trash to Gold. Only way it works in the world.

[@Johanreistad]

How can this be commercial harvested this is one way of attacking the topic.