We know that litter on the ground can find its way into storm drains, which empty into waterways that lead to the ocean. Once trash enters the ocean it becomes marine debris--but what happens after that?
Follow Keep America Beautiful of New Hanover County’s Jennifer O’Keefe and UNC-Wilmington’s Bonnie Monteleone on a voyage 700 miles off the North Carolina coast to find out what happens to litter from our streets, parking lots and school yards. The first stop is Bermuda where beach surveys on this island inside the North Atlantic Gyre last year showed massive amounts of plastic pollution.
After a couple days in Bermuda, they’ll board the Research Vessel Atlantic Explorer for 5 days of sampling. Plastics collected will be taken back to UNC-Wilmington where they will be weighed and analyzed. This is a continuation of O'Keefe and Monteleone's work last summer. Also, in September, Monteleone sailed into the Great Pacific Garbage Patch on a similar research mission.
You can follow their adventures at by visiting http://theplasticocean.blogspot.com/ to view photos and videos from this trip and last year’s research.
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