Patching the Great Pacific Garbage Patch
Presentation Type
Poster Presentation
In Person or Zoom Presentation
In-Person
Campus
Daytona Beach
Status
Student
Student Year and Major
Sophomore and Aerospace Engineering
Presentation Description/Abstract
Floating garbage, specifically The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, has been a detrimental problem to sea life and the environment’s health for many years and goes largely unnoticed. The Ocean Cleanup is a non-profit organization with the primary goal of reducing this problem. The organization wants to hit the statistic of reducing floating ocean plastic by 90% by the year 2040. The solution this organization engineered has many complex components with aspects still being updated to better serve the project’s two-pronged approach. The project looks at the path to reduce floating ocean waste in an innovative way compared to other projects. The two prongs are this: stop the trash flow at the source by putting cleanup machines in rivers and using cleanup machines in the ocean to continuously reduce the amount of net floating plastic. The primary focus of this research is to discover more about what went into the machines that this company developed and further spread the word of the global issue that floating garbage is causing. This research is conducted from scholarly articles, the companies own documentation, and other initiatives linked to The Ocean Cleanup like Team Seas. Over the next two decades and beyond The Ocean Cleanup, this research project, and many other initiatives will help spread the word and increase the drive to fix the environmental problems humanity has caused. All these efforts combined will greatly benefit the environment and the ocean’s ecosystem as a whole.
Keywords
microplastics, garbage patch, mitigation, cleanup, strategies, timeline, waterways
Patching the Great Pacific Garbage Patch
Floating garbage, specifically The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, has been a detrimental problem to sea life and the environment’s health for many years and goes largely unnoticed. The Ocean Cleanup is a non-profit organization with the primary goal of reducing this problem. The organization wants to hit the statistic of reducing floating ocean plastic by 90% by the year 2040. The solution this organization engineered has many complex components with aspects still being updated to better serve the project’s two-pronged approach. The project looks at the path to reduce floating ocean waste in an innovative way compared to other projects. The two prongs are this: stop the trash flow at the source by putting cleanup machines in rivers and using cleanup machines in the ocean to continuously reduce the amount of net floating plastic. The primary focus of this research is to discover more about what went into the machines that this company developed and further spread the word of the global issue that floating garbage is causing. This research is conducted from scholarly articles, the companies own documentation, and other initiatives linked to The Ocean Cleanup like Team Seas. Over the next two decades and beyond The Ocean Cleanup, this research project, and many other initiatives will help spread the word and increase the drive to fix the environmental problems humanity has caused. All these efforts combined will greatly benefit the environment and the ocean’s ecosystem as a whole.