Plastic Crap In The Oceans

The tawdry attitude we humans have about nature and the Earth is reflected in our penchant for dumping our plastic crap in the ocean. Eight million tons a year according the report below from the University of Georgia.

Have you ever heard of something called a mid-ocean gyre? They are places in the world's oceans where currents come together in gigantic swirls. They are huge. One in the North Pacific ocean is the size of the state of Texas. They are places where all the plastic we humans dump in the oceans come together. Imagine a toilet bowl clogged with plastic bits, from very large down to microscopic. This stuff does not occur naturally. Every last tiny piece of it amounts to human waste.

The fact that we allow our plastic crap to end up in the oceans in such massive volume says a lot about mankind's very poor record of stewardship toward the environment we all depend on. There is no excuse for it. We humans simply must do a better job of cleaning up after ourselves.

_________________


Magnitude of plastic waste going into the ocean calculated: 8 million metric tons of plastic enter the oceans per year

 

The 192 countries with a coast bordering the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans, Mediterranean and Black seas produced a total of 2.5 billion metric tons of solid waste. Of that, 275 million metric tons was plastic, and an estimated 8 million metric tons of mismanaged plastic waste entered the ocean in 2010.

Credit: Lindsay Robinson/UGA

A plastic grocery bag cartwheels down the beach until a gust of wind spins it into the ocean. In 192 coastal countries, this scenario plays out over and over again as discarded beverage bottles, food wrappers, toys and other bits of plastic make their way from estuaries, seashores and uncontrolled landfills to settle in the world's seas.

How much mismanaged plastic waste is making its way from land to ocean has been a decades-long guessing game. Now, the University of Georgia's Jenna Jambeck and her colleagues in the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis working group have put a number on the global problem.

Their study, reported in the Feb. 13 edition of the journal Science, found between 4.8 and 12.7 million metric tons of plastic entered the ocean in 2010 from people living within 50 kilometers of the coastline. That year, a total of 275 million metric tons of plastic waste was generated in those 192 coastal countries.

Jambeck, an assistant professor of environmental engineering in the UGA College of Engineering and the study's lead author, explains the amount of plastic moving from land to ocean each year using 8 million metric tons as the midpoint: "Eight million metric tons is the equivalent to finding five grocery bags full of plastic on every foot of coastline in the 192 countries we examined."

To determine the amount of plastic going into the ocean, Jambeck "started it off beautifully with a very grand model of all sources of marine debris," said study co-author Roland Geyer, an associate professor with the University of California, Santa Barbara's Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, who teamed with Jambeck and others to develop the estimates.

They began by looking at all debris entering the ocean from land, sea and other pathways. Their goal was to develop models for each of these sources. After gathering rough estimates, "it fairly quickly emerged that the mismanaged waste and solid waste dispersed was the biggest contributor of all of them," he said. From there, they focused on plastic.

"For the first time, we're estimating the amount of plastic that enters the oceans in a given year," said study co-author Kara Lavender Law, a research professor at the Massachusetts-based Sea Education Association. "Nobody has had a good sense of the size of that problem until now."

The framework the researchers developed isn't limited to calculating plastic inputs into the ocean.

"Jenna created a framework to analyze solid waste streams in countries around the world that can easily be adapted by anyone who is interested," she said. "Plus, it can be used to generate possible solution strategies."

Plastic pollution in the ocean was first reported in the scientific literature in the early 1970s. In the 40 years since, there were no rigorous estimates of the amount and origin of plastic debris making its way into the marine environment until Jambeck's current study.

Part of the issue is that plastic is a relatively new problem coupled with a relatively new waste solution. Plastic first appeared on the consumer market in the 1930s and '40s. Waste management didn't start developing its current infrastructure in the U.S., Europe and parts of Asia until the mid-1970s. Prior to that time, trash was dumped in unstructured landfills--Jambeck has vivid memories of growing up in rural Minnesota, dropping her family's garbage off at a small dump and watching bears wander through furniture, tires and debris as they looked for food.

"It is incredible how far we have come in environmental engineering, advancing recycling and waste management systems to protect human health and the environment, in a relatively short amount of time," she said. "However, these protections are unfortunately not available equally throughout the world."

Some of the 192 countries included in the model have no formal waste management systems, Jambeck said. Solid waste management is typically one of the last urban environmental engineering infrastructure components to be addressed during a country's development. Clean water and sewage treatment often come first.

"The human impact from not having clean drinking water is acute, with sewage treatment often coming next," she said. "Those first two needs are addressed before solid waste, because waste doesn't seem to have any immediate threat to humans. And then solid waste piles up in streets and yards and it's the thing that gets forgotten for a while."

As the gross national income increases in these countries, so does the use of plastic. In 2013, the most current numbers available, global plastic resin production reached 299 million tons, a 647 percent increase over numbers recorded in 1975. Plastic resin is used to make many one-use items like wrappers, beverage bottles and plastic bags.

With the mass increase in plastic production, the idea that waste can be contained in a few-acre landfill or dealt with later is no longer viable. That was the mindset before the onslaught of plastic, when most people piled their waste--glass, food scraps, broken pottery--on a corner of their land or burned or buried it. Now, the average American generates about 5 pounds of trash per day with 13% of that being plastic.

But knowing how much plastic is going into the ocean is just one part of the puzzle, Jambeck said. With between 4.8 and 12.7 million metric tons going in, researchers like Law are only finding between 6,350 and 245,000 metric tons floating on the ocean's surface.

"This paper gives us a sense of just how much we're missing," Law said, "how much we need to find in the ocean to get to the total. Right now, we're mainly collecting numbers on plastic that floats. There is a lot of plastic sitting on the bottom of the ocean and on beaches worldwide."

Jambeck forecasts that the cumulative impact to the oceans will equal 155 million metric tons by 2025. The planet is not predicted to reach global "peak waste" before 2100, according to World Bank calculations.

"We're being overwhelmed by our waste," she said. "But our framework allows us to also examine mitigation strategies like improving global solid waste management and reducing plastic in the waste stream. Potential solutions will need to coordinate local and global efforts."

Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by University of Georgia. The original article was written by Stephanie Schupska. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

Journal Reference:

1.     J. R. Jambeck, R. Geyer, C. Wilcox, T. R. Siegler, M. Perryman, A. Andrady, R. Narayan, K. L. Law. Plastic waste inputs from land into the ocean. Science, 2015; 347 (6223): 768 DOI: 10.1126/science.1260352

---

Cite This Page:

       

University of Georgia. "Magnitude of plastic waste going into the ocean calculated: 8 million metric tons of plastic enter the oceans per year." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 12 February 2015. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/02/150212154422.htm>.

 

The Importance of Whale Poop

Asha de Vos is a marine biologist, who studies the impact of whales on ocean ecology. Her TED presentation points up the enormous contribution whales make to the health of Earth's pelagic environment.  Who knew that poo could be such a valuable commodity.

Here is a link to Asha de Vos' TED presentation --- http://www.ted.com/talks/asha_de_vos_why_you_should_care_about_whale_poo?utm_source=newsletter_weekly_2015-01-10&utm_campaign=newsletter_weekly&utm_medium=email&utm_content=top_left_image

The Whale Man of Australia

Darren Jew lives a life that I would consider trading for. He spends his time photographing and making videos of whales and other marine life.  His work is the gold standard.  Amazingly beautiful imagery. His photos of whales, particularly Humpbacks, are powerful and beautiful.

I'm so glad that in my lifetime, people like Darren Jew came along at the same time photographic technology made it possible to showcase the beauty of the ocean. Now everyone can see why we need to appreciate the gifts of the sea. In the best of worlds,  the kind of inspiration Darren Jew creates with his camera can inspire people everywhere to become proper stewards of the biosphere.

Here is the link to Darren Jew's website. Be sure to check out the video on the index page...http://darrenjew.com/

How Whales Change the Climate

This is a beautiful video, showcasing some of the Earth's most compelling creatures.  I've always had a thing for whales. I hate the fact that there are people who want to kill and commoditize them. 

I admire humans who choose to put their own lives at risk to protect whales. It's no wonder that 'Whale Wars is one of my favorite TV series. 

Here is the link to 'How Whales Save the Climate... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M18HxXve3CM

Surfing @ 1000 Frames Per Second

The people who challenge the ocean's biggest waves are a breed apart.  Just standing on a surfboard, sliding down the front of a small wave is very impressive.  Here is a video produced with the latest camera technology.  We see a handful of the world's greatest surfers taking huge risks on some intimidating,  monster waves.    The opening sequence, in slow motion, of a surfer ripping through a gigantic curling wave is worth the admission alone.  

Here is a link to a remarkable video...https://vimeo.com/108799588

Humpack Whales from Above

Another gorgeous You Tube video of Humpback Whales in Tonga. This video combines aerial and underwater footage of these magnificent creatures.

Here is the link... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCqxJfuthls. 

Oregon's Whale Wars Veteran

I am a big fan of the Sea Shepard Society, a group of volunteers, who ply the world's oceans battling  Japanese industrial whalers, the people who club harp seal pups in the Canadian Arctic, illegal tuna fishing, etc., etc.  

You have to admire people who are willing put their lives at risk to get between whales and the humans that want to kill them.  The Animal Planet TV show, Whale Wars, is about the Sea Shepard crews operating their own vessels, going to the very treacherous Southern Pacific ocean to confront Japanese whalers.   It makes for great TV.   I find it very satisfying to watch the Sea Shepard crews protecting whales from the exploding harpoons the Japanese use to kill them.

I work with a lot of good people these days on videos designed to reach the public with Move to Amend's  very ambitious and very much needed Constitutional agenda.

One of the Move to Amend supporters  I've gotten to know these past few months is a young man named Ryan Rittenhouse.  Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, Ryan's background is in theater and video production. He's now working as an organizer for a non-profit called, Friends of the Columbia Gorge [FOCG].  Ryan is heavily engaged in the current fight to restrict hazardous, oil train traffic through the gorge.

Ryan in the Galapagos Islands

I asked Ryan to work with me on a video that would tie the oil train controversy to the larger Constitutional agenda championed by Move to Amend. Ryan recruited his boss Kevin Gorman, Executive Director of FOCG, to do that outreach video for Move to Amend. Ryan is co-producing that video with me. It was shot this past week and is currently being edited. I will be posting a blog entry about it as soon as it's finished.

I was having lunch with Ryan after we shot the video, when he told me that he had been a Sea Shepard crew member aboard the Farley Mowat, an old ship named after a well-known Canadian naturalist. Of all of the things I have learned about Ryan, that is the most impressive.

 

 

Ryan was quartermaster, and ship's videographer for two seasons in the Southern Pacific Ocean aboard the Farley Mowat.  He also was a Sea Shepard zodiac driver,  often putting himself and his crewmates between defenseless whales and the harpoons of the Japanese whalers. 

When it comes to life, so many people take the path of least resistance, avoiding controversy or anything that even implies some sort of personal risk. That's a big part of why it is so hard to affect positive change on a cultural scale.  Way too many people are self-absorbed and are unwilling to ' stand up'  for anything that involves any kind of assertiveness and substantive commitment.

That's not the way of Sea Shepard, whose crew members volunteer to work without pay. They are people of great courage, conviction, and commitment to Earth stewardship. They travel to the far reaches of the world's ocean's to confront the worst kind of human hubris.

Ryan Rittenhouse put his ass on the line many times over as a Sea Shepard provocateur. He is a person of character and substance. These days, he sports a bushy red beard. He likes the distinct look it gives him.   It's his style, and he has earned the right to express it, unlike so many people who are all about style, with little or no substance behind it.

Here is a link to the Sea Shepard Society...  http://www.seashepherd.org/

Here is a link to Ryan's current employer, the Friends of the Columbia Gorge...  http://www.gorgefriends.org/

Hope You Can Swim

This is a public service announcement from the 'Ocean Overflow Protection Service'.  The subtitle of this silly but thought-provoking video is 'denial won't stop sea level rise'. 

Humor can sometimes draw attention to subjects like nothing else can.  Warning, people in Baltimore, Boston, Miami might be more alarmed than amused.

Here is the link to this goofy PSA  parody from The Center for Biological Diversity...   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PfHerJm6cY 

Sea Turtle Saved By Diver

I really enjoy stories that showcase  humans asserting themselves in acts of kindness toward other living creatures.  This story just appeared on the net. It's a diver in the ocean. He comes across a sea turtle that has a large piece of fishing net wrapped tightly around its left front flipper.  The turtle doesn't struggle or try to get away. It remains quiet and unmoving as the diver cuts away the net. When the turtle is free, it doesn't flee. It swims toward the diver and eyes him face to face.

Turtles can't talk or express emotion, unless of course they are the teenage ninja species of turtle. But, in this instance, the sea turtle's behavior seems to reflect a connection with the diver, a calm appreciation for the kindness extended to it.

Anyway, if you appreciate acts of kindness, this video will give you a lift. Here's the link to the video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSCbpcpjJl4

Humpback Whales in Tonga

Just ran across this short video that features some incredible underwater video of humpback whales in Tonga in the South Pacific. It was shot by an Australian photographer named Darren Jew. Darren works for Canon, which happens to be the brand of camera that I use.    This guy is really living the life.

I have spent time in Tonga. The life there is laid back, so much different than the pace of life here.  I have a friend, Richard Chesher, whom I first met in Tonga. He is a remarkable fellow; a marine biologist, who spends his time immersed in marine photography. His photos are amazing. Chesher lives in New Caledonia these days.  We didn't see any whales while I was in Tonga,  but we did hang out in one of Chesher's clam sanctuaries. That's an adventure I've already written about in an earlier blog about Chesher.  Click on his name in the subject column on the right side of the page.

Anyway,  this video of Darren Jew hanging out with humpbacks in Tonga is worth the admission.  Check it out.

Here is a link to the video... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_y2JfZC5X7M

Court Ends Japanese Whaling in the Antarctic

I have done several postings about the TV show, Whale Wars, that chronicle the ongoing struggle of the Sea Shepard Society to confront Japanese factory whaling in the Antarctic ocean.  Sea Shepard has been fighting this battle with Japanese whalers for about the last ten years.

The International Whaling Commission had imposed a moratorium on commercial whaling in the 1980s.  To get around that ban, Japan had been claiming that their whaling activities were based on research that required them to kill and slaughter hundreds of whales every year.  Of course, all of the whale meat taken this way has ended up in Japanese meat markets.

Australia and New Zealand went to the UN's International Court of Justice to challenge Japan's 'research' whaling.    This past week, a panel of judges ruled 12-4 that Japan's 'research' whaling was a sham. It ordered an immediate end to the practice. Though it has publicly regretted the court's decision, Japan agreed to comply.

This is a huge victory of the Sea Shepard Society and those of us who believe that whales should be protected from human exploitation.

Even with this very positive step, there is much that needs to be done to mend humanity's relationship with our oceans. Beyond our continued overexploitation of the ocean's fisheries, humans are responsible for billions of tons of plastic and other kinds of toxic materials being dumped into the oceans. Making this right will take a massive effort by humanity. Accepting responsibility for the mess we've made means new policies that prohibit  our waterways and oceans from being used as dumping grounds. We must also aggressively develop technologies that will allow us to clean up the mess we've already made.   Rather than seeing this as a financial burden, we should be looking at it as an important pathway to sustainability that will create jobs and improve the quality of life of all the world's people.

Time to get busy and take care of our planetary home.

Drones do Dolphins and Whales

Drones are becoming more and more ubiquitous in our world.   Here is a video that shows whales and dolphins at sea from the viewpoint of a drone flying a few hundred feet above.  The best part come spatter in the video when the drone follows a humpback whale mom and her youngster.  Wonderful video.  It makes you wonderful about people who could hunt them and shoot exploding harpoons into their bodies.  Anyway, this is beautiful video. Enjoy.

Here is the 'You Tube' video of drones doing whales and dolphins...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bo_f8mV5khg

Wild Dolphin Asks for Help

A group of scuba divers off the coast of Hawaii were surprised by a dolphin that approached them underwater. The animal had a fishing line and hook caught in its pectoral fin and wrapped around the fin, restricting its motion. The dolphin was looking for help. One of the divers cut away the line trapping the fin.  The interaction between the divers and the dolphin is beautiful. Compassion is a wonderful thing to witness.

Here is the video link to a wild dolphin asking for help... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wL9I4BxuryY

Best Seal Video Ever

Here's some fun. A diver named Jason Neilus used GoPro cameras to record his playtime with an inquisitive bunch of wild seals in the kelp beds of the Farne Islands in the United Kingdom

Here is the link to  the wonderful video of Jason Neilus' experience visiting with wild seals off the coast of the Farne Islands... http://vimeo.com/78209843#at=0

IPSO State of Our Oceans 2013

This report on the perilous condition of the world's oceans just came out yesterday.  When I read something like this - which is based on unimpeachable science - I ask myself, what is it going to take to restore sanity and put humanity on a corrective course. Right now, many of our elected leaders are pathologically indifferent to the damage we are doing. 

The Earth is our nest. It is the only one we have. We need to start taking proper care of it.

___________________________


Published on Thursday, October 3, 2013 by Common Dreams

Human Assault Pushes Ocean to Limit Unseen in 300 Million Years

'We are entering an unknown territory of marine ecosystem change,' warns report. 'The next mass extinction may have already begun.'

- Jon Queally, staff writer

The news, the evidence that supports it, and the warning that accompanies it could hardly be more dire.

 

The latest audit by an international team of marine scientists at the International Programme on the State of the Ocean (IPSO) found that the world's oceans and marine life are facing an unprecedented threat by combination of industrial pollution, human-driven global warming and climate change, and continued and rampant overfishing.

According to the report, The State of the Ocean 2013: Perils, Prognoses and Proposals, the degradation of the ocean ecosystem means that its role as Earth’s ‘buffer’ is being seriously compromised. As a result, the authors of the report call for "urgent remedies" because the "rate, speed, and impacts of change in the global ocean are greater, faster, and more imminent than previously thought."

"[Last week's] UN climate report confirmed that the ocean is bearing the brunt of human-induced changes to our planet. These findings give us more cause for alarm – but also a roadmap for action. We must use it." -Prof. Dan Laffoley, IUCN

Driven by accumulations of carbon, the scientists found, the rate of acidification in the oceans is the highest its been in over 300 million years. Additionally, de-oxygenation--caused by both warming and industrial runoff--is stripping the ocean of its ability to support the plants and animals that live in it.

The combined stressors, according to the report, are "unprecedented in the Earth's known history. We are entering an unknown territory of marine ecosystem change, and exposing organisms to intolerable evolutionary pressure. The next mass extinction may have already begun."

Professor Alex Rogers of Somerville College, Oxford, and Scientific Director of IPSO said: “The health of the ocean is spiraling downwards far more rapidly than we had thought. We are seeing greater change, happening faster, and the effects are more imminent than previously anticipated. The situation should be of the gravest concern to everyone since everyone will be affected by changes in the ability of the ocean to support life on Earth.”
Among the report's comprehensive findings, the panel identified the following areas as of greatest cause for concern:

• De-oxygenation: the evidence is accumulating that the oxygen inventory of the ocean is progressively declining. Predictions for ocean oxygen content suggest a decline of between 1% and 7% by 2100. This is occurring in two ways: the broad trend of decreasing oxygen levels in tropical oceans and areas of the North Pacific over the last 50 years; and the dramatic increase in coastal hypoxia (low oxygen) associated with eutrophication. The former is caused by global warming, the second by increased nutrient runoff from agriculture and sewage. 

• Acidification: If current levels of CO2 release continue we can expect extremely serious consequences for ocean life, and in turn food and coastal protection; at CO2 concentrations of 450-500 ppm (projected in 2030-2050) erosion will exceed calcification in the coral reef building process, resulting in the extinction of some species and decline in biodiversity overall. 

• Warming: As made clear by the IPCC, the ocean is taking the brunt of warming in the climate system, with direct and well-documented physical and biogeochemical consequences. The impacts which continued warming is projected to have in the decades to 2050 include: reduced seasonal ice zones, including the disappearance of Arctic summer sea ice by ca. 2037; increasing stratification of ocean layers, leading to oxygen depletion; increased venting of the GHG methane from the Arctic seabed (a factor not considered by the IPCC); and increased incidence of anoxic and hypoxic (low oxygen) events. 

• The ‘deadly trio’ of the above three stressors - acidification, warming and deoxygenation - is seriously effecting how productive and efficient the ocean is, as temperatures, chemistry, surface stratification, nutrient and oxygen supply are all implicated, meaning that many organisms will find themselves in unsuitable environments. These impacts will have cascading consequences for marine biology, including altered food web dynamics and the expansion of pathogens.

• Continued overfishing is serving to further undermine the resilience of ocean systems, and contrary to some claims, despite some improvements largely in developed regions, fisheries management is still failing to halt the decline of key species and damage to the ecosystems on which marine life depends. In 2012 the UN FAO determined that 70% of world fish populations are unsustainably exploited, of which 30% have biomass collapsed to less than 10% of unfished levels. A recent global assessment of compliance with Article 7 (fishery management) of the 1995 FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries, awarded 60% of countries a “fail” grade, and saw no country identified as being overall “good”.

Regarding the urgency of the crisis, the marine scientists issued a stark warning to world governments, called on leaders to take immediate action, and offered the following steps they said "must" be taken:

• Reduce global C02 emissions to limit temperature rise to less than 2oC, or below 450 CO2e. Current targets for carbon emission reductions are insufficient in terms of ensuring coral reef survival and other biological effects of acidification, especially as there is a time lag of several decades between atmospheric CO2 and CO2 dissolved in the ocean. Potential knock-on effects of climate change in the ocean, such as methane release from melting permafrost, and coral dieback, mean the consequences for human and ocean life could be even worse than presently calculated. 

• Ensure effective implementation of community- and ecosystem-based management, favouring small-scale fisheries. Examples of broad-scale measures include introducing true co-management with resource adjacent communities, eliminating harmful subsidies that drive overcapacity, protection of vulnerable marine ecosystems, banning the most destructive fishing gear, and combating IUU fishing. 

• Build a global infrastructure for high seas governance that is fit-for-purpose. Most importantly, secure a new implementing agreement for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction under the auspices of UNCLOS.

In response to the IPSO study that arrived just one week after the IPCC report on climate change which also highlighted the threat of global warming to the oceans, Professor Dan Laffoley, of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, said: “What these latest reports make absolutely clear is that deferring action will increase costs in the future and lead to even greater, perhaps irreversible, losses. The UN climate report confirmed that the ocean is bearing the brunt of human-induced changes to our planet. These findings give us more cause for alarm – but also a roadmap for action. We must use it."


 

Deep Flight Super Falcon

The sub-aquatic terrain from ocean's surface down to about 100 feet is where most marine life forms hang out. The best place by far to experience fish and other sea life is in the shallow areas where the sea meets the land.  I've been lucky enough to have a few experiences like that.

In recent years, there's been a lot of technical innovation with submersibles designed for personal exploration of the marine environment.  Almost all of these personal submersible craft depend on filling ballast tanks with water to operate beneath the water's surface. Getting back to the surface safely requires a system to purge the water ballast with compressed air, thus returning buoyancy to the submersible.  While margins of safety are built into this kind of submersible, there is always a risk.

A new submersible design  developed by Graham Hawkes does away with the need for ballast. Called the Deep Flight Super Falcon,  this new submersible works on the same principles as an aircraft.  It remains positively buoyant at all times, providing a high margin of safety. In essence, it 'flies' underwater. It's electric propulsion system provides the forward thrust required to submerge and keep the craft beneath the water's surface.  Like an aircraft, the submersible Falcon has steerable 'wings' that allow it to be controlled.  Most important,  if power is lost, this submersible will return to the surface on its own.

The things I've read about this technology don't give an indication of the cost. I'm guessing the Falcon is too expensive to be anything more than a research tool for well funded institutions or a new kind of 'toy' for the super rich. 

Still, it is a very worthwhile innovation and offers the possibility of making underwater exploration safe and accessible to more people than ever before. 

Deep Flight Super Falcon

Here is a link to Hawkes Ocean Technology   http://www.deepflight.com/

Here is a You Tube link of the Deep Flight Super Falcon flying beneath the sea... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRsV_eUovKw#t=22

Chesher's Memory Bubbles

I have a friend that lives a life more than a few people dream about. He is a marine biologist. His name is Richard Chesher. He and his wife Frederique have been living on their sailing yacht, Moira for the last forty or so years. During that time, they have  anchored now and then in pretty much every island nation in the South Pacific. The last time I had a chance to spend time with Rick and Freddie, they were based in the harbor at Port Vila in Vanuatu.  For the last few years, they have spent most of their time in New Caledonia, a South Pacific island nation with ties to France. French is the official language in New Caledonia.

In recent years, Richard Chester has elevated himself from being just an excellent photographer to elite world class status.   His work showcases the remarkable beauty of the pacific islands and the mostly still pristine marine environment around them.  More recently, he's been using a rig he designed himself using GoPro cameras to produce images of the marine environment that are technically amazing and breathtaking. They showcase the beauty of his home environment in rotatable, 360 degree panoramic images. They allow the viewer to stand where Chesher stood, or, better stated, be where he was when he captured the image in question.  The latter is the proper way to describe what he does because so many of his images are shot in the marine environment, many underwater, and remarkably,  some straddling the surface interface of sky, land, and water. Chesher calls these images memory bubbles.

I am amazed at what Richard Chesher accomplishes from his home base, a 44 foot long motor sailing yacht named Moira. 

Take a moment to enjoy some of the great photography of marine biologist, Dr. Richard Chesher.

Each still image that follows includes a link to a 360 degree rotatable, 'virtual reality'  version. Prepare to be dazzled.

Sea Eagle Nest

Here is the link to Richard Chesher's amazing image of Sea Eagles on an uninhabited isle in New Caledonia...  http://www.360cities.net/image/ua-eagles#28.63,2.21,110.0

Click to the full screen version and rotate the next image.  You will see Chesher's vessel, Moira anchored in the background, and if you look closely, Rick's wife Freddie cane be seen in fins and snorkel.

 https://www.360cities.net/image/diving-spots-new-caledonia-ua-reef#23.43,1.87,80.0

 

 http://www.360cities.net/image/underwater-scenic-overlook-kouare-new-caledonia#356.90,6.30,70.0

If you take a moment to link to these images in all their virtual reality,  memory bubble glory,  click on the comments icon below the image and leave an expression of appreciation.

Thanks, Rick and Freddie. The world is better because of the wonderful contributions the two of you make to it.

Blue Whale Encounter

Years ago, I was out with friends on a boat a few miles off the coast of Santa Barbara, California.  We were there to see blue whales.  We were not disappointed. 

Blue whales are the biggest animals that have ever lived; bigger even than the largest dinosaur.  They grow to nearly 100 feet in length and 190 tons, that's tons, in weight.  They are baleen whales, which means they feed on tiny crustaceans called krill.  Less than an inch long, the krill that morning were countless in number, thick like a blanket at least a foot deep just below the water's surface.  The whales swam with their mouths agate, taking in huge amounts of krill, then straining out the seawater with the baleen that they had instead of teeth.  We couldn't see much of the whales, just their backs as they skimmed the water's surface. What we could see, just that small portion of their backs, was probably twelve feet or more across, giving some indication of how large these animals were.

Blue Whale

Blue whales were hunted relentlessly by whalers in the late 19th through the mid 20th centuries. Now, they are protected.  Though their numbers are a fraction of what they were before humans began to exploit them,  they do seem to have rebounded to levels that assure their survival.

I was in awe of the blue whales that I saw in the ocean near Santa Barbara that day.  I just wished then that I could have seen more of them than a small portion of their backs.  Recently, I stumbled across a video on You Tube that features underwater video of a blue whale. It's wonderful.  I don't know how big this particular whale is. I like to think it's really big, close to 100 feet in length.  We are the first generation to be able to see these creatures as they are. I hope that means we will always protect them.


Here is a link to an wonderful video with underwater footage of a blue whale... http://www.youtube.com/watch?annotation_id=annotation_897791&feature=iv&src_vid=9pjI2XkmoL0&v=WAwzjnhTsjI

Hanging Out With Whale Sharks

About ten years ago,  my friend and sometimes film collaborator, Michael Tobias told a group of us at a party about his sublime experience swimming with whale sharks in Mexico's Sea of Cortez.  Michael's experience was part of Whale Shark Hunters of the Philippines,  a film he executive produced in 2001 for National Geographic about these marvelous creatures.

Whale sharks are kin to some of the most ferocious predators in the sea, but while great white sharks and their ilk can be extremely dangerous, whale sharks are the gentlest of creatures.   To be sure, they are giants. The largest can exceed forty feet in length and 50,000 pounds in weight. Thought to live up to 70 years, they are filter feeders, living off of plankton, and other small organisms, and can be found in all the world's tropical oceans.

 

 

 

I read a piece on the net today that reported on a whale shark tourist industry that has developed on Cebu in the Philippines.  It turns out that Michael Tobias's documentary, which was directed by filmmaker Erin Calmes,  was a catalyst that led to many nations declaring the whale shark a protected species.  Further, whale shark tourism is thriving now in the Sea of Cortez as well as in the Philippines.   Instead of hunting these gentile giants,  fisherman in Cebu are making money taking tourists to swim with them. 

I just told my wife, swimming with whale sharks is on my 'to do' list.

Here is a link to a wonderful video that features people swimming with giant whale sharks...http://www.youtube.com/watch?annotation_id=annotation_898895&feature=iv&src_vid=dUMUSFLyZpU&v=o6lpDsBYX6A

Here is a link to a group that is working to protect whale sharks...http://www.whalesharkfest.com/pdf/ecoocean-brochure.pdf

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch

Actually, there are two garbage patches in the Pacific Ocean, each a slow swirling vortex of plastic trash the size of Texas. All of the world's oceans have these trash gyres. They exist naturally as a consequence of ocean circulation patterns. Of course, having them loaded up with tons of waste plastic is not natural. It's only there because of us humans. About ten percent of all plastic waste ends up in our oceans.  That amounts to about 7.25 million tons, which in volume is a whole lot...imagine a soup made of plastic bags and styrofoam packing peanuts. Needless to say, that stuff is not good for the health of the fish and other marine animals.

 

Some have suggested it would take 80,000 years to clean up these monster pelagic blossoms of garbage.  Fortunately, a 19 year old engineering student named Boyan Slat has been thinking a lot about this problem. He believes he knows how to fix it. In fact, young Mr. Slat claims the cleanup can be done in five years and that money can be made in the process.  While Boyan Slat's idea is more conceptual than real at the moment, a serious effort is underway to determine the feasibility of his  vision, which features a series of floating capture stations anchored to the ocean bottom, all connected by specialized booms.that trap the plastic waste.

Want to know more? Go to Boyan Slat's website   http://www.boyanslat.com/plastic5/

Here is a link to the TED presentation with Boyan Slat reflecting on his bold solution for the ocean garbage patches... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROW9F-c0kIQ