A giant floating trash collector will try to scoop up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch

["DAVID FARBER" <dfarber () me com>]

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> From: the keyboard of geoff goodfellow <geoff () iconia com>
> Date: August 10, 2018 at 12:49:52 GMT+9
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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 – On Sept. 8, an ungainly, 2,000-foot-long contraption will steam under the Golden Gate Bridge in 
> what’s 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 it’s worth a shot.
>
> “I applaud the efforts to remove plastics – clearly any piece of debris cleared from the ocean is helpful,” said Rolf 
> Halden, a professor of environmental health engineering at Arizona State University.
>
> But he added a caveat, namely that there’s not much point to cleaning up the mess unless we also stop the tons of 
> plastic entering the oceans each day. “If you allow the doors to be open during a sand storm while you’re vacuuming, 
> you won’t get very far,” Halden said.
>
> And that gets at the heart of some of the criticism. 
>
> [snip]
>
> -- 
> Geoff.Goodfellow () iconia com
> 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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