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If we think in terms of all the plastic that's been produced since 1950, since it's a synthetic material, hydrocarbons, it's probably still Here today on the planet.
想想1950年以来生产的所有塑料，因为塑料是一种合成材料，是碳氢化合物，所以那些塑料今天可能仍然还在。
Dr. Sarah-Jeanne Royer works with Dr. Nikolai Maximenko and his team at the University of Hawaii to tackle the problem of tracking trash.
为了解决垃圾追踪的问题，萨拉-珍妮·罗耶博士与夏威夷大学的尼古拉·马克西缅科博士及他的团队展开了合作。
Most of the time, we will find only bottle caps and not the bottle itself because the bottle is made out of PET.
大多数时候，我们只能找到瓶盖，找不到瓶子本身，因为瓶子是用PET塑料。
And it's sinking because the density of PET is higher than seawater.
瓶子会下沉，因为PET的密度比海水大。
Despite the dramatic amount of plastic the crew of seeker has encountered, some estimates hold that 99% of ocean-bound plastic waste is still unaccounted for.
尽管“科学探索之旅”号沿途遇到了大量塑料，但有估计认为，99%的海洋塑料垃圾其实是下落不明的。
That's why Sarah's team is working with the swim expedition and the ocean voyages institute to tag and track the waste they find.
这就是萨拉的团队为什么要与本一行的游泳探险队和海洋航行研究所合作，对他们发现的垃圾进行标记和追踪的原因。
The swim are using two different protocols.
游泳探险队签了两项协议。
The first protocol is a visual survey of all marine debris they see from the vessel itself.
第一项是对他们从船上看到的所有海洋碎片进行视觉调查。
and whenever they find an object that is large enough, they will get closer to the debris, they will take pictures of it.
只要他们发现有足够大的物时，就靠过去给它拍照。
And if there are numbers or lettering, they will share this information with us, so we can track back the origin of that debris.
如果上面有数字或者文字，他们就会给我们发信息，这样我们就可以追溯这些碎片的来源了。
The second protocol is basically to attach a GPS buoy onto a marine debris to track their movement in the ocean.
第二项协议基本上就是给海里的废弃垃圾绑上GPS浮标，以追踪它们在海洋中的运动。
We go to the net and tag it.
我们靠到网那边去，然后给它贴上标签。
And then we take out this, and this activates the tracker.
然后把这个取出来，追踪器就激活了。
Once the tracker is activated, it enables scientists to both improve models of how trash travels in the ocean, and learn where to focus cleanup efforts.
一旦追踪器被激活，科学家们不仅可以靠它的数据来改进垃圾在海洋中的移动轨迹的模型，还能弄清海洋清理工作的重点。
Most of the time, Sarah and her team can't immediately tell where a piece of plastic comes from.
大多数时候，莎拉和她的团队都不能马上分辨出塑料的来源地。
But they can look for other clues.
但他们可以寻找其他线索。
We need to use an FTIR or micro-raman spectroscopy.
我们会用到傅里叶变换红外光谱学（FTIR）或微拉曼光谱。
This spectrum is matching a spectrum that is found in the library telling us what is the type of plastic.
这个光谱和在图书馆找到的某个光谱是吻合的，我们就能由此得出塑料的类型。
It's probably the dream of all scientists to have a satellite and a new instrumentation to be able to quantify the amount of plastic floating at sea.
拥有一颗卫星和一种新的仪器从而量化漂浮在海上的塑料的数量可以说是每一位科学家的梦想。
The entire life cycle of plastic is poisonous.
塑料在其整个生命周期都是有毒的。
Its manufacturing process depends on harmful chemicals,
它的生产过程依赖于有害的化学物质，
and when released into the environment, it soaks up even more toxins, and transports them far and wide… including into our bodies.
当它被丢弃到环境中时还会吸收更多的毒素，并将这些毒素到处转移……包括转移到我们的身体里。
Plastic can choke the ocean's ability to absorb Co2 from the atmosphere, exacerbating climate change.
塑料会妨碍海洋从大气中吸收二氧化碳，加剧气候变化。
Only 10 percent of the habitat is on land.
地球只有10%的栖息地是在陆地上。
The rest 90 percent of the habitat's in the Ocean, and it's totally unexplored for the most part.
其余90%的栖息地都在海洋里，而且海洋大部分地方都还完全没有被开发。
Imagining all the jungles, all the deserts, all the savannas, all the rocky mountains.
想象一下所有的丛林，所有的沙漠，所有的大草原，以及整个的落基山脉加起来，
the ocean would be nine times more.
海洋的面积还是比它们大八倍有余。
The idea that somehow it could be 50 percent plastic, 50 percent fish in a mere 30 years is horrifying.
而仅仅需要30年的时间，海洋就能变成50%的塑料，50%的鱼，这个念头想想都觉得恐怖。
The ocean is in peril right now
我们的海洋已经陷入了危险之中，
and if we don't do something that is going to reverse that in the next few years, then it's going to be much more difficult.
如果我们再不采取措施，在未来几年之内扭转这种局面，那我们的日子就会变得愈加艰难得多。
But the situation is far from hopeless.
不过，我们也不是一点儿希望也没有了。
Organizations are developing innovative solutions to clean up ocean plastic.
如今，很多机构都已经在研究清洁海洋塑料的创新解决方案了。
Materials scientists are turning their attention to new packaging solutions.
材料科学家们已经把注意力转向了新的包装解决方案。
And consumers are making more informed choices every day.
消费者每天也在做出更加明智的选择。
How can we use our science to influence laws and policymakers?
如何用科学影响法律和政策制定者?
When you refuse the single-use plastics, it has an effect on your neighborhood, on your local watershed, and the ocean.
拒绝使用一次性塑料，你的左邻右舍、当地的分水界和海洋都会受到你的影响。
Now, seeing the U.N. talking about it, seeing companies rise up and say, 'we're going zero waste.'
现在，看到联合国都已经在讨论海洋垃圾这个问题，看到各个企业也纷纷站出来说，‘我们拒绝任何浪费’。
to see countries make a commitment to stop the flow of trash from land to sea,
看到各国纷纷作出承诺，制止垃圾从陆地流向海洋，
I feel optimistic that we can solve this problem.
我对我们解决这个问题很有信心。
Be sure to visit seeker.com/theswim to read Daily updates from Ben Lecomte,
强烈推荐大家访问seeker.com/theswim，阅读本·勒孔特的每日更新，
track his progress in real time, and watch more videos about the science happening onboard seeker.
实时跟踪他的进展，并观看本栏目更多科学视频。
Click here for this next episode, and don't forget to subscribe.
点击这里观看下一集，记得订阅噢。
Thanks for watching.
感谢大家的收看。
