Event Title
Streaming Media
Presentation Abstract
How does stuff wash ashore in the Salish Sea? The shores of the Salish Sea are covered in logs and trash ranging from large half-destroyed floats down to small pieces of plastic. How does it all get there? Over the past 6 years nearly 500 drifters, equipped with GPS to record positions with an accuracy of a few meters every 10-20 minutes, have been released in these waters (see drifters.eos.ubc.ca), and they have washed ashore more than 700 times. This resulted in plenty of interesting anecdotes, as tracks show a variety of surprising behaviors (including getting run down by ships). But, in addition, a statistical analysis was used to answer some interesting general questions about the Salish Sea. For example: where do things like to wash ashore? Can they escape the Salish Sea by going out into the Pacific? At what stage of the tide does stuff tend to run aground? What's the probability of grounding for items floating 20, 50, or 100m offshore? What are ocean currents like near the shore? The answers to these questions may improve modelling and policy (and they are fun science).
Session Title
Poster Session 3: Land - Water Connections
Conference Track
SSE14: Posters
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2022 : Online)
Document Type
Event
SSEC Identifier
SSE-posters-85
Start Date
27-4-2022 4:00 PM
End Date
27-4-2022 4:30 PM
Rights
Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this document for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author's written permission.
Type
Text
Language
English
How does stuff wash ashore in the Salish Sea?
How does stuff wash ashore in the Salish Sea? The shores of the Salish Sea are covered in logs and trash ranging from large half-destroyed floats down to small pieces of plastic. How does it all get there? Over the past 6 years nearly 500 drifters, equipped with GPS to record positions with an accuracy of a few meters every 10-20 minutes, have been released in these waters (see drifters.eos.ubc.ca), and they have washed ashore more than 700 times. This resulted in plenty of interesting anecdotes, as tracks show a variety of surprising behaviors (including getting run down by ships). But, in addition, a statistical analysis was used to answer some interesting general questions about the Salish Sea. For example: where do things like to wash ashore? Can they escape the Salish Sea by going out into the Pacific? At what stage of the tide does stuff tend to run aground? What's the probability of grounding for items floating 20, 50, or 100m offshore? What are ocean currents like near the shore? The answers to these questions may improve modelling and policy (and they are fun science).
