Tuesday, July 14, 2015

The Race for Water Odyssey in Guam For New Scientific Analyses


 

                   

To read it in French, click here

 

Press Release for immediate distribution
 
July 13th, 2015 - Guam (USA)

The scientific teams of the Race for Water Odyssey in Guam for new analyses on plastic pollution in oceans

Leaving Honolulu on June 30, the Race for Water Odyssey has since travelled with the purpose of going to Guam (Mariana Islands) for a new scientific stopover. The simultaneous presence of two typhoons in the area has forced the crew to change its itinerary.  Despite the absence of the navigation team in Guam, the planned stopover in this archipelago can still be conducted under good conditions. The R4WO scientific team arrived on the island yesterday and will deploy the protocol as initially planned. 

The R4WO crew was forced to go off-route over these last few days because of the formation of tropical cyclones Chan-Hom and Nangka in the North-Western Pacific. This is more specifically the Nangka typhoon (ranked category 5 on a scale of 1 to 5) which has forced the crew of the R4WO to bypass the Mariana Archipelago. However, these necessary safety measures did not undermine the continuation of the expedition. 

Tomorrow the shore crew will carry out beach samplings on three selected beaches on the Guam Island. On site up to July 18, the teams will also meet local stakeholders from the scientific and associative communities during a round table discussion on plastic pollution organised at Guam University.

Next stops: Tokyo and Shanghai

During this stopover in the Mariana Islands, the MOD70 Race for Water trimaran will continue its route towards the next stops of the expedition: Tokyo first of all, then Shanghai. In the two Asian megacities, the aim of the R4WO will be to exchange and raise awareness among local actors on the problem of plastic pollution in oceans.   

Click here to follow the expedition live! 

Click here for more information about the program in Guam!

 

About the Race for Water Odyssey (R4WO) 

Initiated by the Race for Water foundation, the "Race for Water Odyssey" is a unique expedition that aims to draw up the first global assessment of plastic pollution in the ocean by visiting island beaches situated in the 5 trash vortexes. In less than 300 days, over 40,000 nautical miles will be traveled, punctuated by 11 scientific stopovers and 9 outreach stopovers, involving a total of 13 countries. The Race for Water Odyssey benefits from the support of ISAF, Duke University, Oregon State University, senseFly, Swisscom and Swissnex. 

About the Race for Water Foundation 

Founded in Lausanne in 2010, the "Race for Water" Foundation's mission is to preserve our planet's most valuable resource: water. The foundation is an officially recognized non-profit organization seeking to implement concrete and sustainable actions, focusing on two main themes: protecting oceans and freshwater. "Race for Water" initiates projects aimed at raising awareness and taking concrete action on the ground. These actions are directed at four target audiences: economic players, political bodies, the scientific community, and the general public—with particular emphasis on future generations. "Race for Water" collaborates with organizations such as UNESCO, UNEP, IUCN, WWF, and WBCSD. 

 


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