by Patricia Newman
Photographs by Annie Crawley
Millbrook Press, 2014
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 Great Pacific Garbage Patch? How does it affect ocean life? Is it dangerous? And exactly how much is out there?
Meet a team of researchers who sailed one thousand miles into open ocean. They explored the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, where millions of pieces of plastic have collected from rivers, beaches, and ocean traffic all over the world.
For nearly three weeks at sea, trash detectives gathered bits of plastic and ocean organisms. Their samples helped them learn more about the effects of plastic in the ocean. Using the scientific method the researchers observed, developed hypotheses, and created experiments. Follow along on the expedition to find out how they studied the Great Pacific Garbage Patch—and what alarming discoveries they made.