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Biological carbon pump, Marine particulate pool, Microplastic, North Pacific Subtropical Gyre, Vertical distribution Osu-Réunion, University of Reunion Island, Reunion Island (FR), CNRS, Université Toulouse III, Laboratoire des Interactions Moléculaires et Réactivité Chimique et Photochimique (IMRCP) (FR), Association CETAMADA (MG) Here, we present a proof-of-concept on remote sensing of ocean plastics using airborne shortwave IR (SWIR) imagery. We captured red, green, and blue (RGB) and hyperspectral SWIR imagery with equipment mounted on a C-130 aircraft surveying the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch” at a height of 400 m and a speed of 140 knots. We recorded the position, size, color, and type (container, float, ghost net, rope, and unknown) of every plastic piece identified in the RGB mosaics. We then selected the top 30 largest items within each of our plastic type categories (0.6−6.8 m in length) to investigate SWIR spectral information obtained with a SASI-600 imager (950−2450 nm). Our analyses revealed unique SWIR spectral features common to plastics. The SWIR spectra obtained (N = 118 items) were quite similar both in magnitude and shape. Nonetheless, some spectral variability was observed, likely influenced by differences in the object optical properties, the level of water submersion, and an intervening atmosphere. Our simulations confirmed that the ∼1215 and ∼1732 nm absorption features have potential applications in detecting ocean plastics from spectral information. Our study also explores the potential of SWIR remote sensing technology for detecting and quantifying ocean plastics, thus providing relevant information to those developing better monitoring solutions for ocean plastic pollution. Ocean plastic can persist in sea surface waters, eventually accumulating in remote areas of the world’s oceans. Here we characterize and quantify a major ocean plastic accumulation zone formed in subtropical waters between California and Hawaii: The Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP). Our model, calibrated with data from multi-vessel and aircraft surveys, predicted at least 79 (45-129) thousand tonnes of ocean plastic are floating inside an area of 1.6 million km2; a figure four to sixteen times higher than previously reported. We explain this difference through the use of more robust methods to quantify larger debris. Over three-quarters of the GPGP mass was carried by debris larger than 5 cm and at least 46% was comprised of fishing nets. Microplastics accounted for 8% of the total mass but 94% of the estimated 1.8 (1.1-3.6) trillion pieces floating in the area. Plastic collected during our study has specific characteristics such as small surface-to-volume ratio, indicating that only certain types of debris have the capacity to persist and accumulate at the surface of the GPGP. Finally, our results suggest that ocean plastic pollution within the GPGP is increasing exponentially and at a faster rate than in surrounding waters.

Matthias Egger, Lauren Quiros, Giulia Leone, Francesco Ferrari, Christiana M. Boeger and Michelle TischlerThis will surface all of the hidden folders and files on your Mac. The reason these folders remain hidden is they typically don't need to be accessed, and this is a good reason, you should be careful before deleting files or folders in any of those 'hidden' folders. 4.Reduce the number of startup and login items The Undersea Cleaning Spree' is a beautiful plastic pollution book for KS1. Exploring the concept of plastic pollution in the ocean in a child-friendly way, this book would be great to use on World Oceans Day or during a topic about pollution. This child-friendly look at ocean plastics sees the problem from the viewpoint of the sea creatures. Try this ' Under the Sea Drawing Activity' to see what your students have learnt about during your topic study of the undersea world. Obviously, you shouldn’t use a toothbrush that’s ever been in your mouth on a book. Not only is a used toothbrush full of germs, but if it’s tough enough to clean your teeth, then it’s probably too harsh for brittle paper. Get the softest brush possible. Makeup brushes can also be good for this purpose. 7. Get Out Any Bugs Plastic has been detected in the ocean in most locations where scientists have looked for it. While ubiquitous in the environment, plastic pollution is heterogeneous, and plastics of varying composition, shape, and size accumulate differently in the global ocean. Many physical and biological processes influence the transport of plastics in the marine environment. Here we focus on physical processes and how they can naturally sort floating plastics at the ocean surface and within its interior. We introduce a new open-source GPU-accelerated numerical model, ADVECT, which simulates the three-dimensional dispersal of large arrays of modelled ocean plastics with varying size, shape, and density. We use this model to run a global simulation and find that buoyant particles are sorted in the ocean according to their size, both at the surface due to wind-driven drift and in the water column due to their rising velocity. Finally, we compare our findings with recent literature reporting the size distribution of plastics in the ocean and discuss which observations can and cannot be explained by the physical processes encoded in our model.

Set up a fan in another part of the room. Airflow will help your afflicted paper friend dry out faster, but uneven drying can cause the book to warp. Air shouldn’t be blowing right on the book.

3. Tackle Grime, Mold, And Stains

Contributors: The Ocean Cleanup Foundation (NL), Department of Earth Sciences, Utrecht University (NL), Scripps Institution of Oceanography (USA), If the book has a smoky odor, place it in a sealable plastic container with at least one cup of baking soda or activated charcoal. Interwoven facts and an inspirational surfing grandma add up to a picture book with a lovely balance of urgency, humour and heart." - The Guardian Read more Details Collaborators: The Ocean Cleanup (NL) Hydrology and Quantitative Water Management Group, Wageningen University and Research (NL), LEESU, Université Paris-Est Créteil (FR), Department of Geoscience and Remote Sensing, Delft University of Technology (NL) Your best guarantee for keeping ancient books in good shape is prevention. Keep them from getting humid and carefully vacuum and dust them every week. Perform preventative maintenance. The more you get to know your book, the better you’ll know what works for it.