Plastic, Ahoy!: Investigating the Great Pacific Garbage Patch

by Patricia Newman, Annie Crawley (Illustrator)

Overview

Plastic: it's used to make everything from drink bottles and bags to toys and toothbrushes. But what happens when it ends up where it doesn't belong—like in the Pacific Ocean? How does it affect ocean life? Is it dangerous? And exactly how much is out there?

A team of researchers went on a scientific expedition to find out. They explored the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, where millions of pieces of plastic have collected. The plastic has drifted there from rivers, beaches, and ocean traffic all over the world. Most of it has broken down into tiny pieces the size of confetti.

For nearly three weeks at sea, researchers gathered bits of plastic and ocean organisms. These samples helped them learn more about the effects of plastic in the ocean. Follow along on the expedition to find out how scientists studied the Garbage Patch—and what alarming discoveries they made.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781467712835
Publisher:	Lerner Publishing Group
Publication date:	01/01/2014
Pages:	48
Sales rank:	385,019
Product dimensions:	9.90(w) x 9.80(h) x 0.30(d)
Lexile:	900L (what's this?)
Age Range:	9 - 13 Years

About the Author

Patricia Newman's books inspire young readers to seek connections to the real world. Her titles encourage readers to use their imaginations to solve real world problems and act on behalf of their communities. These books include Sibert Honor title Sea Otter Heroes: The Predators That Saved an Ecosystem; Junior Library Guild Selection Eavesdropping on Elephants; Bank Street College Best Book Zoo Scientists to the Rescue; Booklist Editor's Choice Ebola: Fears and Facts; and Green Earth Book Award winner Plastic, Ahoy! Investigating the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Patricia frequently speaks at schools and conferences to share how children of any age can affect change. Visit her at www.patriciamnewman.com.

Annie Crawley, aka Ocean Annie, travels and works around the world. Trained as a photo and broadcast journalist, her work has been broadcast and published worldwide. From Indonesia to Galapagos, Belize to Papua New Guinea, India to Australia, Annie has explored and documented life on our planet. Based in Seattle, Annie works as a producer, writer, photographer, and motivational speaker. She founded Dive Into Your Imagination, a multimedia company producing books, enhanced eBooks, educator guides, films, motivational art, and more. Annie was the photographer and filmmaker aboard SEAPLEX sponsored by Project Kaisei and Samy's Camera. Annie specializes in the underwater realm and also works as a photo, video, and scuba diving instructor. She is a member of the Women Divers Hall of Fame and created a dive team for kids and teens. Visit her online at www.AnnieCrawley.com and www.anniecrawleyphotography.com.

Editorial Reviews

"This is an informative book about how plastics are affecting the Pacific Ocean. A research team on the ship New Horizon gathers pertinent information from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. It is here that millions of pieces of plastics are found. Three women discuss their inquiry into the effects of plastics; while they discuss their hypothesis, it is evident that many more questions are raised. Information about the garbage patch and how the ocean community is adapting and changing is discovered. Captivating, captioned photographs from the ship's voyage fill each page. Vivid and detailed diagrams provide further details to the studies. Additional bits of information are presented. This is an interesting read for all curious ocean explorers." —Library Media Connection

From the Publisher

2014-01-22
Student researchers spend three weeks on a small ship investigating plastic residue and its effect on ocean water and marine life in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Straightforward organization introduces the students—Miriam Goldstein, Chelsea Rochman and Darcy Taniguchi—the problem, the 2009 Scripps Environmental Accumulation of Plastic Expedition, daily life on the research vessel and the scientific method: observe, develop hypotheses, design experiments. There are explanations of the North Pacific Central Gyre, the particular patch of the Pacific where plastic accumulates; the students' individual research interests in rafting organisms, phytoplankton, and the chemistry of both plastics and surrounding water; and the scientific tools they used. Realistically, although Darcy comes home with observational data, her subsequent research follows another path. But the author describes some of Miriam's and Chelsea's continued experiments, seeking to answer questions their observations raised. Finally, the author suggests ways to reduce the use of plastics that might end up in ocean waters, oceangoing creatures and our bodies as well as on our beaches. Sidebars and text boxes add information. Photographs taken on the expedition help tell the story, and the book's design is appealing and appropriate. A sobering introduction and solid demonstration of science research in action. (source notes, glossary, further reading, index) (Nonfiction. 10-15)

Kirkus Reviews