UPDATE! Debris from the March 2011 Japan tsunami is making its way across the ocean and landing along the West Coast. Most recently, the first confirmed debris from the earthquake washed up along California’s north coast. We interviewed Sherry Lippiatt, California Regional Coordinator of the NOAA Marine Debris Program, to get the most updated information on the status of this debris, its impacts to the California coastline, and how you can get involved and make a difference.
Everyday action: Reduce single use packaging with a little effort: carry reusable bags, use your own coffee and water containers, and purchase in bulk when possible.
Saturday, September 15 is the Annual California Coastal Cleanup Day, the state’s largest volunteer event. In 2011, nearly 72,000 volunteers removed more than 1.3 million pounds of trash and recyclables from California beaches, lakes and waterways. For this year, debris from the 2011 Japan earthquake and tsunami is bringing more attention to the important issue of marine debris. Eben Schwartz, marine debris program manager for the California Coastal Commission, talks about the 28th annual cleanup and how you can participate. (Photo credit: California Coastal Commission)
In celebration of our upcoming 100th Thank You Ocean Report podcast, we launched a contest that let our supporters and fans select their favorite podcast. The winner: sharks!
The Project AWARE Foundation is a non-profit conservation organization working with divers around the world to conserve underwater environments. On this report, former Director Jenny Miller Garmendia talks about one of their projects that is aimed at protecting sharks. (This podcast was originally broadcast on September 6, 2010)
On Earth Day, we often see the NASA photo from space of Earth as a Big Blue Marble, but what makes it blue? The ocean! We talked with Wallace J. Nichols about BlueMarbles.org, the global movement inspired by the Earth as a Blue Marble. The idea? Pass a blue marble through every person’s hand on earth, with a simple message of gratitude along with it. (Photo courtesy of Neil Osborne)
The Pacific Gyre is a slowly moving, clockwise spiral of ocean currents. We talked with Marcus Eriksen, the executive director of the 5 Gyres Institute, about ocean gyres and the Pacific Garbage Patch, said to be twice the size of Texas, floating between Hawaii and California. (Photo courtesy of NOAA Marine Debris Program)
On March 11, 2011, a powerful tsunami hit Japan, destroying cities and villages, and carrying tons of debris out to sea. Ocean currents are projected to carry some of that debris to U.S. shores, including the West Coast. It’s uncertain what is still floating, where it’s located, where it will go, and when it will arrive. Nir Barnea, West Coast Regional Director, NOAA Marine Debris Program, has the latest information.
With Memorial Day Weekend, the “unofficial” start of summer, we highlight ways to thank the ocean for our beautiful beaches. Brian Baird, Assistant Secretary for Ocean and Coastal Policy for the California Natural Resources Agency, discusses everyday actions we can take to help clean up our coasts and ocean. Actor and activist Edward James Olmos adds his powerful Thank You Ocean message, “Don’t Trash the Beach.”
The majority of the debris that ends up on our beaches and in our waterways comes from litter and urban runoff. Learn more from Eben Schwartz with the California Coastal Commission. (Photo courtesy NOAA Marine Debris Program/Ocean Conservancy)
This winter NOAA is predicting greater rainfall than normal. On this report, we ask the question: How does rainfall affect the ocean? Bridget Hoover, Director of the Water Quality Protection Program for the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, describes how various pollutants accumulate during the dry season and are washed into the ocean when it rains. (Photo courtesy of Warren Yogi)
With so much trash and litter entering our ocean every year, the problem of preventing and reducing marine debris is an urgent challenge that we must meet to preserve the health of our ocean. On this report, we talk with Eben Schwartz with the California Coastal Commission and Jolyn Bibb with Whole Foods about California Coastal Cleanup Day which annually brings tens of thousands of volunteers to the state’s beaches and inland shorelines to remove the debris that has accumulated over the course of the year.
The majority of the debris that ends up on our beaches and in our waterways comes from litter and urban runoff. Learn more from Eben Schwartz with the California Coastal Commission. (Photo courtesy NOAA Marine Debris Program/Ocean Conservancy)
This winter NOAA is predicting greater rainfall than normal. On this report, we ask the question: How does rainfall affect the ocean? Bridget Hoover, Director of the Water Quality Protection Program for the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, describes how various pollutants accumulate during the dry season and are washed into the ocean when it rains. (Photo courtesy of Warren Yogi)
