Our oceans are in crisis.” It is one of the most repeated phrases by The Ocean Race in his project ‘compete with a purpose’. The regatta seeks the unifying power of the sport to try to amplify the debate on the health of the oceans and drive change. And it is that what is intended is be a catalyst for change to accelerate the protection and recovery of the seas. Therefore, to try to try to investigate and raise awareness among the population, the teams. as they sail, they are collecting samples of microplastics and preliminary results from the early stages of this issue show that Up to 1,884 microplastics have been recorded per cubic meter (pm3)* of water in some parts of the world.
For example, the samples analyzed in the second stage of the round-the-world trip, which went from Mindelo (Cape Verde) to Cape Town (South Africa), contained concentrations of microplastics ranging from 92 to 1884 ppm3. The microplastic samples contained levels similar to those collected during the third leg, the longest in the race’s 50-year history, a 12,750-nautical-mile journey across the Southern Ocean. Despite being one of the most remote places on the planet, between 160 and 1,492 pm3 particles were found in the samples collected during this stage of the race, from Cape Town to Itajaí (Brazil).
Microplastics will continue to be collected throughout The Ocean Race’s 60,000 km using an onboard sampling unit consisting of a filter system specially designed to collect plastic particles (between 0.03mm and 5mm), which carry on board two teams: the GUYOT environment – Team Europe and the Team Holcim – PRB. The unit works by drawing water through a filter over a two-hour period to collect microplastics. The sailors take new samples every day and, after each stage, they are sent to the National Oceanography Center (CNO) in the UK for analysis, with the support of the University of Rhode Island (USA).
Victoria Fulfer, visiting scientist at the University of Rhode Island at the CNO, said that “It is very worrying that we are finding microplastics in all samples, from coastal areas to the most remote regions of the ocean. So far, more than half of our samples have more than 500 microplastic particles per cubic meter larger than 0.1mm, and those concentrations increase when we look for even smaller particles. The problem is widespread and sampling efforts like the ones being carried out by this race are vital to help us understand the extent of microplastic pollution in the ocean.″.
Stefan Raimund, scientific leader of The Ocean Race, stated that “we are learning more and more how pervasive microplastics are in the ocean. They are found in species throughout the marine environment, from plankton to whales, and we ourselves consume them in shellfish and even in drinking water. Science is the most powerful weapon we have to combat this problem. The data we collect can help inform and influence businesses and governments to make decisions that can better protect our planet.”.
Richard Brisius, President of The Ocean Race proclaims that “the planet is the only shareholder we report to”. Therefore, research is important. It is taking place and, for the first time around the world, The chemical structure of plastic particles is being examined to help better understand which plastic products end up in the ocean and break down into microplastics. The most abundant chemical found so far is polyethylene, which is used in many products, such as single-use containers, plastic bags, and bottles.
This scientific initiative of The Ocean Race is part of the Racing with Purpose sustainability program, created together with 11th Hour Racing. All the teams that participate in the competition are involved in it, and they carry on board various equipment that collects data on the impact of human activity on the ocean. He 11th Hour Racing Team and the Team Malizia carry an OceanPack to collect data on climate change and the ocean, while the Biotherm collects information on ocean biodiversity. All of them also try to raise awareness wherever they go. The fleet is currently in Aarhus and the talks on sustainability are having a great acceptance among the Danish population.
The state of the oceans is worrisome and is getting worse. Without going any further, the results of this edition of the regatta, which began in Alicante on January 15, 2023 and will end in Genoa (Italy), in the Grand Final at the end of June, are significantly higher compared to microplastics. captured during the previous edition, in 2017-18. During the previous edition, the samples ranged from 50 to 100 pm3 , and now the levels are thought to be up to 18 times higher due to an increase in microplastic contamination and improvements in analysis methods and technology. Microplastic fibers, which are incredibly strong, are also discussed in this edition, whereas the 2017-18 edition did not. The Ocean Race contributes scientific data to the Ocean Decade Odyssey project, which is a project supported by the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030) that supports efforts to reverse the cycle of deterioration of the health of the oceans and create better conditions for the sustainable development of the ocean.
