Marine debris, the perennial global problem that harms the environment, impacts commerce, and threatens human health and safety, provides an opportunity to learn about the oceans from a unique perspective that shows how winds and currents, the main forces that move marine debris over long distances across the world oceans, can drag objects from one side of the world to the other.

On March 3, 2015, the NOAA Marine Debris Program's Nir Barnea and Peter Murphy presented to six classes of curious and inquisitive students at Jane Adams Middle School in Seattle, WA. The presentations covered how marine debris is generated on land and sea, how it is transported to the ocean, and what makes marine debris, from tiny microplastics to large floating docks, move across the ocean. Slides of the tragic March 2011 tsunami that devastated Japan, and a simulation model showing how the marine debris generated by the tsunami moved across the Pacific Ocean, generated both sympathy and much interest. The students asked good questions, and committed to action – reduce, reuse, recycle, and no littering.

For more information, please contact Peter.Murphy@noaa.gov and Nir.Barnea@noaa.gov.

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