Research group heads to the Arctic on icebreakers to raise awareness about plastic waste

See Change, co-founded by Sophie Edmonds, Annabel Illingworth and Ksenia Tarasenko, will be heading to the Arctic in September 2018 with a vast team in order to create a documentary about the increasing levels of plastic travelling from the UK to this fragile ecosystem. Speaking to Boat International about the expedition, Ksenia Tarasenko and Sophie Edmonds share their knowledge of the trip and the dire situation in this remote spot.

1. Why is this expedition taking place?

"To raise awareness that the plastic that we throw away here in the UK and Europe can travel to one of the most remote ecosystems on the planet. It has devastating effects on the fragile polar environment," says Edmonds. "Studies in the region and ocean models have found that roughly 300 billion pieces of floating pieces of micro plastic are in and around the Barents Sea."

Due to a lack of research regarding plastic pollution in the Arctic, it's a difficult place to get to in order to carry out further study. The message of the project is clear – the plastic we throw away in the UK does not disappear and over the past decades, it has floated over to the Barents Sea, creating a plastic ocean.

"The plastic is of course not coming from the Arctic itself," adds Tarasenko. "We want to contribute precious data and maybe even make some new findings."

The group will head to the Arctic on board 125 metre icebreaker Kapitan Drasikstan for approximately 10 days.

"We have sponsors for the project," Tarasenko explains. "Otherwise, chartering an icebreaker for 10 days can cost around $1 million.

Associate Dean at Plymouth University Professor Richard Thompson will be testing for micro plastics in the Barents Sea. The team will be examining the shorelines, animals and nests on UNESCO World Heritage Site Franz Joseph Land.

"Professor Richard Thompson will collect water samples using nets, he will then test for micro plastics on a temporary lab on board. Further analysis will take place back at Plymouth to examine the samples to see how long they have been in the water and where they come from," Edmonds explains. "We will walk along the shoreline of Franz Joseph Land collecting sand samples and examining nests of sea birds to see the effect of the plastic on marine life."

This expedition will start and finish in Murmansk in Russia, which lies on the Finnish border, and they will cruise as far north as the ice allows.

"We have a few route options, but we will be travelling to the Barents Sea in the Russian Arctic," says Edmonds. "We will be stopping at Franz Joseph Land which is an archipelago and national park full of large fauna, polar bears, arctic foxes, walrus, narwhales and sea birds."

“The ocean currents are like conveyor belts moving UK plastic very fast up north, which is probably the worst place for plastic to be at this moment,” says Erik van Sebille, an oceanographer at Imperial College London. “What we found, quite shockingly and unexpectedly, is that most UK plastic ends up in the Arctic."

The group heading out on the expedition will include Professor Richard Thompson, a Sky News team, Erfan Saadati (director, surround vision VR) Patrick de Butler (documentary maker and director), Rob Hollingworth (director of photography) and See Change co-founders Ksenia Tarasenko, Sophie Edmonds and Annabel Illingworth.

"Jeremy Irons, Annie Costner and Liana Cornell have all expressed interest in voice over for the VR. There will be a camera crew, a VR crew, a drone operator and sound," says Edmonds. "The research will be done by Richard Thompson, the rest will be film and VR crew." These are just a few of the celebrities supporting ocean conservation.

The expedition is partnered with the Water Smart Foundation and Pure Ionic Water. The project is produced by See Change, a company that works with business, academia, philanthropists and non-profits to solve complex sustainability challenges.

"Most marine biologists and oceanographers we speak to say that the best way to protect the ocean is by preventing more plastic going in," says Tarasenko. "Single use plastic is entering the ocean at alarming rates."

People around the world can start by always carrying a reusable and recyclable water bottle, swapping plastic bags for material ones and to be mindful to choose less packaged items where possible. Buying local, unpackaged produce to cook with at home means less packaging to dispose of afterwards.

"Bundanoon in Australia was the first town in the world to outlaw bottled water," continues Tarasenko. "Cities such as San Francisco, Chicago, Delhi and South Africa, Uganda, Somalia, Rwanda Botswana, Kenya and Ethiopia all have total bans on plastic bags in place."

People should also buy things second-hand, recycle correctly and effectively and support the plastic ban tax. "Councils and governments need encouragement that people care about this issue and want change. They will be responsible for correct waste management and preventing leakages into water ways."

One of the most important things to know about plastic pollution is that the plastic waste needs to be properly managed at its source because once the plastic enters the ocean its destination and impact are uncontrollable.

The documentary and accompanying Virtual Reality experience is set to be finished in December 2017 and will appear on media channels internationally.

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