Description

A Plastic Ocean

Scientists Solving a Jigsaw Puzzle ... Gyre by Gyre

If it was happening in one gyre, they suspected it was happening in all of them. But the filmmakers needed experts to prove it.

Scientists were brought in at each stage to analyze the findings from one part of the story to add their data to the overall report on the five gyres.

In the center of the Pacific Ocean gyre researchers found more plastic than plankton. A Plastic Ocean documents the newest science, proving how plastics, once they enter the oceans, break up into small particulates that enter the food chain where they attract toxins like a magnet. These toxins are stored in seafood’s fatty tissues, and are eventually consumed by us.

Brain Waves

Gyres, garbage patches, and the marine plastic journey - what happens to plastic that ends up in the ocean? Now you know.

At Ocean Wise our mission is to inspire the global community to become Ocean Wise by increasing its understanding, wonder and appreciation for our oceans.

Nurdles are the tiny, factory-made pellets that form the raw material for every plastic product that we use, from toys to toothbrushes. And while they look pretty harmless on land, they can really wreak havoc on our oceans. Kim Preshoff details the nurdles’quest for ocean domination, shedding light on the particular features that allow these pervasive polluters to persist for entire generations.

Blue is a feature documentary film charting the drastic decline in the health of our oceans. With more than half of all marine life lost and the expansion of the industrialization of the seas, the film sets out the challenges we are facing and the opportunities for positive change. Blue changes the way we think about our liquid world and inspires the audience to action. Along with the film is an ambitious global campaign to create advocacy and behaviour change through the #oceanguardian movement. To watch the film and become an ocean guardian, see the website.

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Task

Blog post:

Reflect on the information you’ve covered in this activity to complete the 'Connect, Extend,Challenge' thinking routine below using the prompting questions to help you

Connect
How are the ideas and information presented CONNECTED to what you already knew?

Extend
What new ideas did you get that EXTENDED or pushed your thinking in new directions?

Challenge

What is still CHALLENGING or confusing for you to get your mind around? What questions, wonderings or puzzles do you now have?

When complete, please post your blog here. You may post ONE BLOG to represent your school. Then everyone should contribute in commenting on their colleagues' blogs, to contribute to the national dialogue.

Reminders:

Although students are encouraged to work in groups to write their blog, each student is encouraged to post on at least two of their peers' blogs. (When posting your blogs, be sure to list the title as Country: Blog Name. For example, Canada: My Ecological Footprint)

Blog posts and commentary that students make will be used in the final product. Be sure to have clear, concise, and well thought out responses to one another and to the questions being asked.

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Continue to ARCHIVE: National Dialogue 2018 »