North Pacific Gyre Voyage: Reseach Objectives
Research Objectives:
- Vertical Distribution of Microplastic - A series of stacked trawls will descend 5 meters below the surface to investigate the affect of sea state on the vertical mixing of microplastic particles.
- POPs on Plastic - Samples of plastic pollution will be collected in order to analyze them for the absorption of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs).
- Spatial Distribution of Plastic Pollution in the North Pacific Gyre - We intend to collect 50+ sea surface samples from the North Pacific Gyre to better understand the type and abundance of microplastic particles along a transect from Hawaii to Vancouver, BC.
