Getting help to map the mess

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP) is estimated to have 100,000 tons of plastic in the North Pacific Ocean, but despite it covering an area twice the size of Texas, its exact location can be hard to pinpoint. In their mission to shrink the patch, a Dutch non-profit is getting help from Transpac Race competitors to map the mess.

For those boats not returning to the mainland on a Pasha roll-on/roll-off ship, many have volunteered to be fitted with AI cameras to detect plastic in the world’s largest accumulation of floating plastic. They will also be given GPS drifter buoys to deploy at specific locations to tag discarded nets and other abandoned gear. – Full report