On July 1, the oceanographic research vessel Alguita set sail from Santa Barbara on a journey to the infamous North Pacific Gyre. The research team, headed by Captain Moore once again, will journey to the center of the widely known “Great Pacific Garbage Patch.” There, they will conduct an intensive 30-day exploration of how plastic pollution has affected the marine environment. The persistence and increasing quantity of plastic debris has created new habitats—essentially “plastic reefs” that sea creatures have made their homes.
The ultimate goal is to evaluate long-term trends and changes in the Gyre by merging the data from previous expeditions with new data.
Track progress of the journey via this live map.
On July 20, 2014, you can join a special event in Los Angeles to speak with the researchers via satellite on their findings. Register and get details here.
