>> Andrew: WHILE MANY
MICHIGANDERS ARE CONCERNED WITH
TRYING TO KEEP THE GREAT LAKES
CLEAN, SOME DETROITERS ARE ALSO
FOCUSED ON EFFORTS TO KEEP UP
WITH CLEANING OUR OCEANS.
AND THEY THINK THEY CAN DETECT POLLUTANTS THE SIZE OF A HUMAN
POLLUTANTS THE SIZE OF A HUMAN
HAIR FROM SPACE.
MICROPLASTICS ARE POLLUTANTS.
>> ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION BY
MICROPLASTICS IS A SEVERE
PROBLEM FOR HUMANKIND.
IT AFFECTS HUMAN HEALTH IN SOME
WAYS.
>> Andrew: THEY CAN COME FROM
FACTORIES OR LANDFILLS.
THEY ARE SMALLER THAN A TOENAIL
AND CAN COME FROM EVERYDAY
ACTIVITY.
>> MOST PRODUCTS ARE NOT 100%
COTTON OR 100% WOOL.
THEY HAVE PLASTIC FIBERS.
WHEN YOU WASH YOUR CLOTHES, IT
WASHES OUT SOME OF THAT.
>> THERE’S IN A GREAT AMOUNT OF
INFORMATION ON HOW THEY’RE
MOVING AROUND THE OCEANS AND IF
THERE IS A SEASONAL PATTERN.
>> TO CLEAN THEM UP IS A
DIFFICULT PROBLEM, BECAUSE FIRST
YOU NEED TO KNOW WHERE THEY ARE.
>> Andrew: MICHIGAN
RESEARCHERS WORKING WITH AN
EXISTING SATELLITE SYSTEM IN
SPACE CALLED SIGNET TO LOOK FOR
MICROPLASTICS ON THE SURFACE OF
THE OCEAN.
MANY TIMES WHEN
MICROBROADCASTICS ENTER THE
OCEAN FROM MANUFACTURING, OTHER
POLLUTANTS ACCOMPANY THEM.
>> THERE ARE SOAPS OR FILMS ON
THE TOP OF THE WATER, AND THEY
MAKE THE WAVES -- THEY DAMPEN THE WAVES, SO THEY MAKE THEM
THE WAVES, SO THEY MAKE THEM
LESS RESPONSIVE, LESS WAVY WHEN
THE WIND BLOWS.
>> Andrew: WAVINESS IS OCEAN
ROUGHNESS.
OCEAN ROUGHNESS CAN BE DETECTED
BAY SATELLITE SIGNAL.
>> THE MICROPLASTICS ON THE
OCEAN’S SURFACE AFFECT THE
OCEAN’S SURFACE.
>> IT’S THE SAME WAY THAT OIL
SLICKS AFFECT THEM.
>> THESE SIGNALS CAN BE CAPTURED
BY THE SATELLITE, AND THEY USE
THE SIGNAL TO INFER THE
CONFIRMATION OF MICROPLASTICS IN
THE OCEAN.
>> THAT’S HOW WE SEE WHERE
THEY’RE GOING.
>> Andrew: CURRENTLY THEY’RE
COMPARING SATELLITE DATA AND LAB
RESULTS FROM MICHIGAN’S WAVE
POOL.
>> WE ARE ADDING A BUNCH OF JUNK
TO THE WATER AND SEEING HOW IT
RESPONDS AND HOW IT SUPPRESSES
THE WAVES. >> THERE IS SOME CORRELATION
>> THERE IS SOME CORRELATION
BETWEEN THE SURFACE AND THE
CONCENTRATION OF MICROPLASTICS.
>> Andrew: IF CONTINUED
EXPERIMENT GOSS WELL, SCIENTISTS
HOPE TO CREATE DETECTION SYSTEM
AND COMPUTER MOD TOLLS DO TWO
THINGS, ONE, TO RAISE AWARENESS.
>> IF WE’RE ABLE TO SHOW WHICH
CITIES ARE CLEANER, WHICH RIVER
OUTFLOWS ARE DIRTIER, AND THAT
WAS LIKE COMMON PUBLIC
KNOWLEDGE.
IN A BETTER WORLD PEOPLE WOULD
DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.
>> Andrew: TWO, TO HELP CLEAN
UP CREWS.
>> WE HOPE TO USE THEIR DATA TO
VALIDATE OUR MODEL.
FROM THE OTHER SIDE, WE CAN HELP
THEM USING OUR DATA TO KNOW THE
LOCATION OF THE MICROPLASTICS
FOR A MORE EFFICIENT CLEAN UP
LATER.
>> Andrew: BOTH GOALS ARE
GEARED TOWARD REDUCING OR
ELIMINATING MICROPLASTICS
POLLUTION IN OUR OCEANS FOR GOOD
>> IT MAKE ME FEEL REALLY
HOPEFUL.
IT MAKES ME FEEL LIKE WE CAN FIX
THIS PROBLEM.
>> I’M VERY HAPPY THAT I CAN
HELP PEOPLE DO SOMETHING TO LOOK
BETTER.
>> YOU DON’T HAVE THAT IN
OPPORTUNITIES AS A SCIENTIST AND
A RESEARCHER TO INFLUENCE, YOU
KNOW, THE DAY-TO-DAY LIFESTYLE
AND THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF THE
WORLD, BUT WHEN YOU DO, IT’S
SOMETHING SPECIAL.
>> Andrew: ABSOLUTELY
ASTOUNDING.
THOSE LOCAL RESEARCHERS ARE
OPTIMISTIC ABOUT HAVING POSITIVE
RESULTSLATESSER THIS YEAR.
IT TURNED INTO A WORLDWIDE
EFFORT, PRIYA AND GRANT, LOCAL
RESEARCHERS WITH THE SATELLITE
SYSTEM DETECTING MICROPLASTICS,
TURNING INTO A WORLDWIDE EFFORT
TO DETECT THEM AND CLEAN THEM
UP.
BACK TO YOU.