{"id":72610,"date":"2016-05-02T12:00:48","date_gmt":"2016-05-02T11:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=72610"},"modified":"2016-04-26T13:07:05","modified_gmt":"2016-04-26T12:07:05","slug":"solar-impulse-pilot-i-flew-over-plastic-waste-as-big-as-a-continent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2016\/05\/solar-impulse-pilot-i-flew-over-plastic-waste-as-big-as-a-continent\/","title":{"rendered":"Solar Impulse Pilot: \u2018I Flew Over Plastic Waste As Big As a Continent\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>As the <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.solarimpulse.com\/adventure\" >Solar Impulse 2<\/a> made its <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/ecowatch.com\/2015\/03\/02\/solar-powered-airplane-around-world-flight\/\" >historic 62-hour flight\u00a0from Hawaii to California<\/a> without fuel, pilot Bertrand Piccard personally saw the horrific amount of <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/ecowatch.com\/?s=plastic+waste\" >plastic<\/a> in our oceans.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_72612\" style=\"width: 710px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/solarimpulse-airplane.png\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-72612\" class=\"wp-image-72612\" src=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/solarimpulse-airplane.png\" alt=\"The solar airplane as it approaches the California. Photo credit: Solar Impulse\" width=\"700\" height=\"468\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/solarimpulse-airplane.png 750w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/solarimpulse-airplane-300x200.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-72612\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The solar airplane as it approaches California. Photo credit: Solar Impulse<\/p><\/div>\n<p>While flying above the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, Piccard sent out a tweet to <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/ecowatch.com\/?s=boyan+slat\" >Boyan Slat<\/a>, the 21-year-old founder and CEO of <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/ecowatch.com\/?s=Ocean+Cleanup+Project\" >The Ocean Cleanup<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI flew over plastic waste as big as a continent,\u201d Piccard\u00a0wrote. \u201cWe must continue to support projects like @BoyanSlat Ocean Cleanup,\u201d referring to Slat\u2019s\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/ecowatch.com\/2015\/11\/13\/boyan-slat-ocean-plastic-cleanup\/\" >ambitious project<\/a>\u00a0of ridding the world\u2019s oceans of plastic trash.<\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/twitter.com\/bertrandpiccard\/status\/723535670036299778\/photo\/1?ref_src=twsrc^tfw<\/p>\n<p>The Ocean Cleanup describes\u00a0itself as the \u201cworld\u2019s first feasible concept to clean the oceans of plastic\u201d and has garnered widespread\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/ecowatch.com\/2015\/04\/08\/boyan-slat-ocean-cleanup-plastic\/\" >public admiration<\/a> and support especially for Slat,\u00a0a\u00a0former aerospace engineering student who proposed the concept when he was only 17.<\/p>\n<p>Piccard and Slat also spoke on Friday as the solar-powered plane made its risky journey.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Having a live chat with <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/bertrandpiccard?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" >@bertrandpiccard<\/a> while he pilots <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/solarimpulse?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" >@solarimpulse<\/a> directly above the Great Pacific Garbage Patch &#8211; today around 9AM PT<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Boyan Slat (@BoyanSlat) <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BoyanSlat\/status\/723501521988661249?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" >April 22, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s no surprise that the pilot and the young inventor\u00a0linked up\u2014both are using innovative technology to promote the greater good of the planet.<\/p>\n<p>Piccard and the\u00a0Solar Impulse team plan to fly around the world\u00a0using\u00a0only the power of the sun to promote\u00a0clean transportation and other environmental causes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have demonstrated it is feasible to fly many days, many nights, that the technology works,\u201d fellow pilot Andre Borschberg told the <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/tech\/solar-powered-plane-completes-journey-across-pacific-ocean-065215319.html\" >Associated Press<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think innovation and pioneering must continue,\u201d Piccard added. \u201cIt must continue for better quality of life, for clean technologies, for <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/ecowatch.com\/business\/renewables\/\" >renewable energy<\/a>. This is where the pioneers can really express themselves and be successful.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">BREAKING NEWS <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Si2?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" >#Si2<\/a> and <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/bertrandpiccard?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" >@bertrandpiccard<\/a> just landed in <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/SF?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" >#SF<\/a> after 3 days of flight without fuel <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/futureisclean?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" >#futureisclean<\/a> <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/LTRRfXkxNu\" >pic.twitter.com\/LTRRfXkxNu<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Solar Impulse Foundation (@solarimpulse) <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/solarimpulse\/status\/724127636507660290?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" >April 24, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Slat has spoken before about the necessity\u00a0to protect our oceans.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe oceans are the most important life\u2014support systems of our planet,\u201d he\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/ecowatch.com\/2014\/06\/11\/boyan-slat-19-pacific-ocean\/\" >said<\/a>\u00a0in 2014. \u201cIt regulates the\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/ecowatch.com\/climate-change-news\/\" >climate<\/a>, it produces oxygen. The vast majority of biodiversity can be found in the ocean.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Ocean Cleanup involves\u00a0a massive\u00a0static platform and V-shapped booms that passively corrals plastics with\u00a0wind and ocean currents. If all goes to plan, the project\u00a0will officially launch in 2020 and be the\u00a0longest floating structure ever deployed in the ocean.<\/p>\n<p>Similarly, both parties have experienced hiccups along the way. Before arriving in California, the plane, the Solar Impulse 2, had been grounded in Hawaii for nine months as it underwent\u00a0repairs after its <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/ecowatch.com\/2015\/07\/03\/solar-impulse-lands-hawaii\/\" >record-breaking five-day trip<\/a>\u00a0from\u00a0Japan to Hawaii in\u00a0July.<\/p>\n<p>As for Ocean Cleanup project,\u00a0despite a\u00a0530-page\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.theoceancleanup.com\/technology\/feasibility-study.html\" >feasibility study<\/a>, some critics and scientists have\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/ecowatch.com\/2015\/09\/03\/rid-ocean-of-plastic\/\" >written off Slat\u2019s idea<\/a>\u00a0on\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.deepseanews.com\/2014\/07\/the-ocean-cleanup-part-2-technical-review-of-the-feasibility-study\/\" >mechanical design<\/a>\u00a0and ecological impacts. Dr.\u00a0Marcus Eriksen, the co-founder of 5 Gyres, offered a number of <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/ecowatch.com\/2015\/09\/03\/rid-ocean-of-plastic\/3\/\" >constructive suggestions<\/a> for the project.<\/p>\n<p>Still, it\u2019s very clear that the\u00a0environment needs whatever help it can get, from curbing our reliance on dirty energy\u00a0to putting a stop to\u00a0plastic waste. The world\u2019s oceans and marine life are suffering from a\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/ecowatch.com\/2015\/12\/24\/plastic-trash-stomach-dead-orca\/\" >devastating plastic crisis<\/a>, with 8 million metric tons of plastic waste dumped into our oceans every year. Plastic pollution\u00a0is\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/ecowatch.com\/2015\/10\/15\/plastic-pollution-oceans\/\" >only getting worse<\/a>\u00a0as\u00a0consumer use of plastic and\u00a0plastic-intensive goods intensifies\u00a0in\u00a0emerging countries.<\/p>\n<p>Not only that, an alarming new study by the University of Delaware physical oceanographer Tobias Kukulka reported that there might be much more plastic than what\u2019s estimated.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy research has shown that ocean turbulence actually mixes plastics and other pollutants down into the water column despite their buoyancy,\u201d Kukulka said, according to <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.udel.edu\/udaily\/2016\/apr\/plastic-marine-environment-042216.html\" >UD Daily<\/a>. \u201cThis means that surface measurements could be wildly off and the concentration of plastic in the marine environment may be significantly higher than we thought.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_72611\" style=\"width: 710px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/pacificgarbage-plastic-ocean.png\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-72611\" class=\"wp-image-72611\" src=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/pacificgarbage-plastic-ocean.png\" alt=\"Marine debris that has accumulated in the Pacific Ocean. Photo credit: NOAA\" width=\"700\" height=\"467\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/pacificgarbage-plastic-ocean.png 750w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/pacificgarbage-plastic-ocean-300x200.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-72611\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Marine debris that has accumulated in the Pacific Ocean. Photo credit: NOAA<\/p><\/div>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/ecowatch.com\/2016\/04\/25\/solar-impulse-boyan-slat\/\" >Go to Original \u2013 ecowatch.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As the Solar Impulse 2 made its historic 62-hour flight from Hawaii to California without fuel, pilot Bertrand Piccard personally saw the horrific amount of plastic in our oceans.While flying above the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, Piccard sent out a tweet to Boyan Slat, the 21-year-old founder and CEO of The Ocean Cleanup.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[61],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-72610","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-environment"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72610","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=72610"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72610\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=72610"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=72610"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=72610"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}