OUTLINE

Hey guys,

So I started working on the outline. It still needs a lot of work. Right now it's mostly wikipedia.

But I was thinking of this:
1. Opening - A story on the discovery of the patch.
2. Context - The history and development of the patch.
3. Options - Not too sure where we want to go. Since this is the meat of our presentation, I think we should discuss together further.
4. Conclusion - Cleanup initiatives and a sense of hope and progress.

Let me know what we think.

Why you should know about the great pacific garbage patch

Opening:

The existence of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch was predicted in a 1988 paper published by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of the United States. The prediction was based on results obtained by several Alaska-based researchers between 1985 and 1988 that measured neustonic plastic in the North Pacific Ocean. This research found high concentrations of marine debris accumulating in regions governed by particular patterns of ocean currents. Extrapolating from findings in the Sea of Japan, the researchers hypothesized that similar conditions would occur in other parts of the Pacific where prevailing currents were favorable to the creation of relatively stable waters. They specifically indicated the North Pacific Gyre.

Context/Premise: History

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a gyre of marine litter in the central North Pacific Ocean. Media claims that the patch is larger than the size of Texas. The Patch is characterized by exceptionally high concentrations of pelagic plastics, chemical sludge, and other debris that have been trapped by the currents of the North Pacific Gyre. The patch is not easily visible because it consists of very small pieces, almost invisible to the naked eye; most of its contents are suspended beneath the surface of the ocean.

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Summary:

Conclusion:

There are many various cleanup initiatives implementing solutions:

1. The Environmental Cleanup Coalition collaborates with other groups to identify methods to safely remove plastic and persistent organic pollutants from the oceans.

2. The JUNK raft project highlights the plastic in the patch, organized by the Algalita Marine Research Foundation.

3. Project Kaisei initiated two project vessels, the New Horizon and the Kaisei, embarked on a voyage to research the patch and determine the feasibility of commercial scale collection and recycling.

4. The SEAPLEX expedition, a group of researchers from Scripps Institution of Oceanography, spent 19 days on the ocean researching the patch. They took samples and spread awareness; two steps essential to the cleaning-up process.

5. The Plastiki is a boat-building project by David Mayer de Rothschild hoping to highlight cleanup issues and sustainable plastic technologies.