DAVID FARBER
2018-08-10 04:33:44 UTC
Date: August 10, 2018 at 12:49:52 GMT+9
Subject: A giant floating trash collector will try to scoop up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch
A giant floating trash collector will try to scoop up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch
By Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY
Aug 7 2018
<https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/science/2018/08/07/giant-floating-trash-collector-heads-pacific-garbage-patch/831803002/>
SAN FRANCISCO â On Sept. 8, an ungainly, 2,000-foot-long contraption will steam under the Golden Gate Bridge in whatâs either a brilliant quest or a fool's errand.
Dubbed the Ocean Cleanup Project, this giant sea sieve consists of pipes that float at the surface of the water with netting below, corralling trash in the center of a U-shaped design.
The purpose of this bizarre gizmo is as laudable as it is head-scratching: to collect millions of tons of garbage from what's known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, which can harm and even kill whales, dolphins, seals, fish and turtles that consume it or become entangled in it, according to researchers at Britain's University of Plymouth.
The project is the expensive, untried brainchild of a 23-year-old Dutch college dropout named Boyan Slat, who was so disgusted by the plastic waste he encountered diving off Greece as a teen that he has devoted his life to cleaning up the mess.
Along with detractors who want to prioritize halting the flow of plastics into the ocean, the Dutch nonprofit gathered support from several foundations and philanthropists, including billionaire Salesforce founder Marc Benioff. In 2017, the Ocean Cleanup Project received $5.9 million in donations and reported reserves from donations in previous years of $17 million.
How it works
The Ocean Cleanup Project's passive system involves a floating series of connected pipes the length of five football fields that float at the surface of the ocean. Each closed pipe is 4 feet in diameter. Below these hang a 9-foot net skirt.
The system moves more slowly than the water, allowing the currents and waves to push trash into its center to collect it. Floating particles are captured by the net while the push of water against the net propels fish and other marine life under and beyond.
The system is fitted with solar-powered lights and anti-collision systems to keep any stray ships from running into it, along with cameras, sensors and satellites that allow it to communicate with its creators.
For the most part the system will operate on its own, though a few engineers will remain on a nearby ship to observe. Periodically a garbage ship will be sent out to scoop up the collected trash and transport it to shore, where it will be recycled.
Misguided focus
Marine biologists who study the problem say at this point things are so bad that itâs worth a shot.
âI applaud the efforts to remove plastics â clearly any piece of debris cleared from the ocean is helpful,â said Rolf Halden, a professor of environmental health engineering at Arizona State University.
But he added a caveat, namely that thereâs not much point to cleaning up the mess unless we also stop the tons of plastic entering the oceans each day. âIf you allow the doors to be open during a sand storm while youâre vacuuming, you wonât get very far,â Halden said.
And that gets at the heart of some of the criticism.
[snip]
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-------------------------------------------Subject: A giant floating trash collector will try to scoop up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch
A giant floating trash collector will try to scoop up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch
By Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY
Aug 7 2018
<https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/science/2018/08/07/giant-floating-trash-collector-heads-pacific-garbage-patch/831803002/>
SAN FRANCISCO â On Sept. 8, an ungainly, 2,000-foot-long contraption will steam under the Golden Gate Bridge in whatâs either a brilliant quest or a fool's errand.
Dubbed the Ocean Cleanup Project, this giant sea sieve consists of pipes that float at the surface of the water with netting below, corralling trash in the center of a U-shaped design.
The purpose of this bizarre gizmo is as laudable as it is head-scratching: to collect millions of tons of garbage from what's known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, which can harm and even kill whales, dolphins, seals, fish and turtles that consume it or become entangled in it, according to researchers at Britain's University of Plymouth.
The project is the expensive, untried brainchild of a 23-year-old Dutch college dropout named Boyan Slat, who was so disgusted by the plastic waste he encountered diving off Greece as a teen that he has devoted his life to cleaning up the mess.
Along with detractors who want to prioritize halting the flow of plastics into the ocean, the Dutch nonprofit gathered support from several foundations and philanthropists, including billionaire Salesforce founder Marc Benioff. In 2017, the Ocean Cleanup Project received $5.9 million in donations and reported reserves from donations in previous years of $17 million.
How it works
The Ocean Cleanup Project's passive system involves a floating series of connected pipes the length of five football fields that float at the surface of the ocean. Each closed pipe is 4 feet in diameter. Below these hang a 9-foot net skirt.
The system moves more slowly than the water, allowing the currents and waves to push trash into its center to collect it. Floating particles are captured by the net while the push of water against the net propels fish and other marine life under and beyond.
The system is fitted with solar-powered lights and anti-collision systems to keep any stray ships from running into it, along with cameras, sensors and satellites that allow it to communicate with its creators.
For the most part the system will operate on its own, though a few engineers will remain on a nearby ship to observe. Periodically a garbage ship will be sent out to scoop up the collected trash and transport it to shore, where it will be recycled.
Misguided focus
Marine biologists who study the problem say at this point things are so bad that itâs worth a shot.
âI applaud the efforts to remove plastics â clearly any piece of debris cleared from the ocean is helpful,â said Rolf Halden, a professor of environmental health engineering at Arizona State University.
But he added a caveat, namely that thereâs not much point to cleaning up the mess unless we also stop the tons of plastic entering the oceans each day. âIf you allow the doors to be open during a sand storm while youâre vacuuming, you wonât get very far,â Halden said.
And that gets at the heart of some of the criticism.
[snip]
--
living as The Truth is True
http://geoff.livejournal.com
This message was sent to the list address and trashed, but can be found online.
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