As the eXXpedition North Pacific crew start to see more evidence of plastic pollution around them, their thoughts turn to solutions and collaboration. Crew member Eleanor Church says:

“Life at sea is feeling relatively normal and we’re all now comfortable being at the helm. This has given us the headspace to really think about why we’re on this expedition. The gyre is getting closer and, despite poor surface visibility due to strong winds, we’re already starting to see larger bits of plastic floating in what superficially looks like beautiful, clean, blue ocean. 

We all care about this issue but it can be overwhelming thinking about what to do about it. But to better understand the solutions, we need to better understand the problem. 

As we get to know each other better, we’re also learning about each other’s superpowers. All of us coming from different fields allows us to collaborate in a multidisciplinary way, all attacking the problem from different angles. We’re excited about the briefing from our head scientists, Rowan + Emily, this afternoon. They’ll be walking us through the type of samples we’ll be collecting and why. More to come on the science tomorrow, stay tuned.”

This update from Sea Dragon is made possible by Iridium Communications, the only mobile voice and data satellite communications network that spans the entire globe.

The North Pacific Crew will be sending us daily updates from Sea Dragon, which will be posted here on the eXXpedition website. You will also be able to see updates from the crew and ground team throughout North Pacific on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Curious about where Sea Dragon is RIGHT NOW? Click here to see exactly where she is!

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