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SEAPLEX Scientists find a Giant Squid |
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Wednesday, 23 September 2009 |
During the first 48 hours of the cruise we entered the California Current and were hit with a 24 hour sampling station. This meant science and data collection happened for 24 hours straight. We needed to get a control data set to compare to what we would find in the gyre. Once we left the control station it was planned that we would continue to do manta trawls and a CTD every night for data collection, so a 24 hour shift was maintained. We were now officially headed full steam west, directly to where the scientists had guestimated there would be the largest accumulation of plastic in the gyre. Nothing was going to stop us and interfere because we wanted to spend as much time in the garbage patch as possible….but Able Seaman Kent spotted a dead giant squid floating on the surface, and as I was interviewing Miriam she yelled, “Captain, follow that squid!”
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How do you sample the plastic gyre? |
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Friday, 18 September 2009 |
 We were definitely not in Kansas anymore, nor sunny California. When we woke up on day two of the cruise, the seas had kicked up and there was a bit of weather. Everyone had donned their foul weather gear. Fortunately I do not get seasick, but I somehow knew I was going to be wearing a pair of rubber boots for the next three weeks and my feet were already crying from suffocation! At this point, I still could not believe we were not going to see land for another three weeks. I have been to sea many times, but never to just head out literally to the middle of the Pacific Ocean. We were all still getting to know one another and I was trying to learn what all of the equipment on the New Horizon was for.
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Wednesday, 16 September 2009 |
 On August 2, 2009 a team of eight young oceanographers from Scripps Institution of Oceanography set sail on an expedition to the North Pacific Gyre. Their intention was to explore the scale and scope of the marine debris problem in this gyre and really had no idea what to expect. These brilliant young scientists are the next generation of experts and chose an important environmental issue to focus their studies: Is plastic and marine debris in our Ocean affecting life in the largest biome on our planet and is it entering our food chain?
In the old days of science, researchers studied for the sake of study, but today more and more researchers are looking for the application of the science. During the past decade, Algulita Marine Research has created a media buzz around the issues of plastic in our ocean due to the work of Dr. Charles Moore. As I left port, I had in my mind we were going to find a floating island twice the size of Texas, more commonly known now as The Garbage Patch.
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Thursday, 10 September 2009 |
August 1, 2001
Mat left the Dive Into Your Imagination office at midnight, when he returned at 8:00 am to drive down to San Diego with me, I was zipping up my last bag for transportation to the New Horizon. As the only person joining the SEAPLEX expedition as photographer and filmmaker, I had a lot of equipment to organize: 7 cases of equipment and one small bag of clothes and personal items! For this end of the journey keeping the number of bags down was not crucial, but when we returned we were going to be landing in Oregon and I was going to have to fly home. I could not even imagine flying with this much equipment on my own!
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I'm Going to The Garbage Patch? |
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Wednesday, 09 September 2009 |
 One never knows they are going on expedition until you are literally on the boat or plane heading to the destination. I met one of the founders of Project Kaisei, Doug Woodring, in Santa Barbara at a talk he was giving about Project Kaisei. Dr. Andrea Neal, the chief scientist aboard the tall ship Kaisei, introduced us after we met at a beach clean-up. Less than six weeks after meeting one another, we were preparing for me to document their expedition.
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