The Deep End[emic]: Oceanic Microplastic Pollution by sgrivard

The Deep End[emic]: Oceanic Microplastic Pollution Sarah Rivard

The Oceanic Microplastic Waste Stream: How Microplastic Waste Links Us to

the Deepest Parts

of the

Ocean

Contents 01

Introduction

Precedents

Existing Waste Stream

Envisioned Waste Stream

Citations

Solrødgaard Water Treatment Plant CopenHill Sydhavns Recycling Center Soil Centre Learning Barge

Anthropogenic Origins Oceanographic Forces Ecosystem Uptake Anthropogenic Conclusions

Improved Wastewater Treatment + Water Sports Microplastic Collector + Education Through Technology Decomposition Center + Seaside Pools Deep Sea Research Centers

13 14 15 16 17

24 26 38 46

52 54 56 58

| 01 | Introduction

INTRODUCTION

An estimated 8.3 billion tons of nonbiodegradable plastic has been produced by humans over the last 65 years . . .

The marine microplastic problem is one of a global scale and its damage impacts us all. Our current oceanic waste management philosophy causes us to poison ourselves slowly over time, and moreover, poison earth’s life forms and environments with microscopic plastic fibers. The oceanic microplastic waste stream links us and our daily lives to even the ocean’s most remote environments; deep sea trenches. We exist in a closed loop system with the ocean, which means our microplastic waste comes back to us. I employ Buckminster Fuller’s general systems theory as a framework to reveal this currently damaging closed loop system and then identify points of opportunity for architecture to ameliorate it. The question at hand is

6.3 billion tons of which is now predicted to be waste . . .

how do we promote recognition of our place within the closed loop oceanic microplastic waste stream in a way that catalyzes public engagement in functional physical solutions addressing this pollutant?

(Kane, Ian & Clare, Michael. Frontiers in Earth Science, 2019)

| 01 | Introduction

As described by Buckminster Fuller in Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth, everything in the universe is linked through various closed loop systems unpredictable by their individual parts. However, as Fuller so aptly put it, ‘there is no operating manual for spaceship earth’ (Fuller, Richard Buckminster, ‘Operating Manual For Spaceship Earth’). Humans have shifted the systems of the universe to suit their will to an exponential degree since the industrial revolution. As a result, our waste is prolific and our earth is not functioning as it should.

Connecting these mundane activities to larger waste streams is key to changing societal consciousness of waste,

I expand Fuller’s general systems framework to include systems with neutral or negative outcomes in order to capture the effects of extreme human intervention. The system that links us to the ocean through microplastic is one such negative outcome system. Architects are uniquely able to shift the system back to neutral by integrating scientific solutions with a philosophical change in society’s value of waste management. Architects must showcase waste management beautifully and involve the public creatively in these projects. In this way, we can change how we see our place within the oceanic waste stream and increase the societal value we place on waste management.

This exploration combines my interest in waste streams and pollution, architecture for environmental good, marrying solution-oriented and philosophical approaches, and my belief that beauty and quality express societal values that effect behavior. Listed below are the new links in the system chain that I intend to explore. The goal is to elevate the collective consciousness of this issue and demonstrate how architects can address it.

Projects that pair land-based waste management and public programs already exist. I will extend this typology to sea-based microplastic waste, specifically targeting microfibers from synthetic textiles. Case studies provide a basis for the success of combining waste management and public programs as well as for the ability of architecture to evolve values and change behavior.

Land-based | Improved wastewater treatment + Wider community program Roaming | Underwater microplastic capture + public education through technology Seaside | Microplastic decomposition center + community program Deep Sea Trench Wall | Underwater research centers monitoring long term impacts

Through this body of design research, I focus on how our microplastic waste links us to the deep sea to exemplify how saturated all environments and life are, no matter how remote. I focus on synthetic textile microplastic fibers because they are the primary source of deep sea microplastic pollution and most directly linked to mundane human activity. 5

| 01 | Introduction

Preliminary Topic & Disciplines Map

MICROPLASTIC ACCUMULATION RESEARCH COMPOSI

OCEAN CURRENTS

SEABED TOPOGRAPHY

DISCI Marine Snow

BENTHIC ECOSYSTEMS

Microplastics in Marine Life

sites of

me from?

Thermohaline Currents

Turbicity Currents

Submarine Canyons & Trenches

Raw Materials & Origination

FILTRATION

RECOVERY & REUSE

nd how

ediments

City Dust

Ocea

Circular Economy

ACTIVE & PASSIVE OCEAN MARIGNS

Biococktails of Fungus, Enzymes & Bacteria

Filtration by Density

Precedents

Tires

s removed

ation on nd how lation be

Bonding Agents

Archi Ur

DECOMPOSITION & CONGLOMERATION

DESIGN THESIS PROJECTION

Static Electric Attraction

Major River Terminations

Site Selection

Ideation

Synthetic Textiles

Mater

Filtration by Jellyfish Mucus

Filtration by Size Wave Filtration

OCEANIC ZONES & DEPTHS Hadopelagic & Abyssopelagic Zones

CITY-SCALE MICROPLASTIC POLLUTION

Biote

Microplastics in Sediments

vard | ARCH7100 Design Research Methods & Strategies | Research Compositio

OMPOSITION

DEEP SEA MICROPLA | 01 | Introduction

DISCIPLINES

How does the ocean carry microplastic?

What is the deep sea and where are the sites of microplastic accumulation? Architecture & Urbanism

Where does the deep sea microplastic come from?

Oceanography

Subm Cany Tre

What are the deep sea ecosystems like and how does microplastic effect them?

How can microplastics be removed from sediments and seawater? Ecology

ACTIV PASSIVE O MARIG

What happens to the microplastic once it’s removed from the deep sea site?

Material Science

Biotechnology

Composition

How will I address this issue?

What is the effect of microplastic accumulation on the deep sea landscape and ecosystem and how can sites of deep-sea microplastic accumulation be remediated?

M Te

Sarah Rivard | ARCH710

DEEP SEA MICROPLAST | 01 | Introduction

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City Dust

Idea Cloud

Industry

|01|

Textile Manufacture

MICROPLASTIC SOURCES

Abyssopelagic

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Synthetic Textiles

Oceanic Zones

Washing Machines

Hadopelagic

|05|

Daily Life

|02|

Your place in the sequence

Marine Snow

Settlement Processes

Mixing with

Tires Currents, animals, gravity

Seabe Sedime

Deposit Locations

Where does it enter

MICROPLASTIC GEOGRAPHY Where does settle

ECOLOGICAL AFFECTS

Accumulation Locations

F Fee Topography

Identify and define the deep sea

DEEP SEA GEOGRAPHY Ocean Currents

Conferences

Organizations

People

Marcella Hansch

Ocean Blue Project

Everwave

Architecture & Urbanism

Cristian Ehrmentraut

MIXup

Floating Plastic Filtration Platform Design Precedent

Oceanography

Rania Ghosn MIT

Robin Dripps UVa

Luke Sawitsky

Geostories: Another Architecture for the Environment

Intersection of Ecology & Construction

Expert in Fisheries & Clean Ocean Investments

Ecology

Material Science

GreenTech Festival

The Age of Water: The Value of Water

Biotechnology

Marine Debris Conference

Intl. Conf. on Microplastic & Plastics Pollution

Chemistry

|01|

Oceanic zone

|02|

Oceanic zone

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Fibers made th

|04|

Microplastic d

|05|

Continuous sh

|06|

Filter feeders a

Sarah Rivard | ARCH7100 Design Research 8

TIC ACCUMULATION | 01 | Introduction

Recovery & Reuse

Circular Economy

Sequence

Earth

Bond Particles into Larger Elements

Oceans Conglomeration |10|

organic particles

Deep Sea Ecosystem

Density & Suspension

|12|

ed ents

Static Electric Attraction

Filtration

Mixing with sediment

Deep Sea Site: Fixed

|11| Membrane Filter

Deep Sea Site: Roaming

|09| |07| |06|

Filter eders

Wave Filtration

Enzymes, Bacteria, & Fungal Breakdown

Larvacean

Floating Ocean Platform

Transport down the water column

Pelagic Red Crab

Decomposition

Cities

Wastewater Treatment Plant

Buildings

SITES OF INTERVENTION

1,000 years

|08| River Mouth Site

Seawater Interaction

Pressure

MATERIAL PROPERTIES

Plants/ Animals/ People

Particles

Density

Particle Size

of greater than 13,000 ft depth

|07|

A free-swimming filter feeder that lives in the photic zone between 0-650 ft depth

within deep sea trenches from 20,000 to 36,000 ft depth

|08|

A filter-feeding crab that is an important food staple for many ocean species

hrough chemical synthesis processes (e.g. rayon, polyester, acrylic, nylon)

|09|

New cocktails of enzymes, bacteria, & fungus that can break down plastics

dust produced within cities from the breakdown of common items (e.g. tires, shoes, plastic waste)

|10|

Filtration through suspension in a liquid that causes one material to sink while another floats due to density

hower of tiny particles from the ocean’s surface to the deep sea

|11|

Filtration through a membrane that catches one size of particle while allowing others through

are marine animals that strain food particles from water through internal filtering structures

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Filtration using static electricity to generate cling that pulls one type of material, but not others

Methods & Strategies | Idea Cloud 9

D E E P S E A M| 01I |C ROPLASTIC ACCUM Introduction

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Conferences |01|

Grants & Scholarsh ips |01|

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Breaks UVa Summer Break 05.23 – 08.24

Coursework Goals Interim Deadlines Site Visits Meetings Final Deadlines

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Research Survey Due Topics Presentation Idea Cloud Research Schedule & Organization Grant Writing Exercise Design Research Mid-Review Design Research Draft Design Research Book Due Submit Thesis Application Idea Exploration Conceptual Development

People |12| |13| |14| |15| |16| |17| |18| |19| |20| |21|

Review Schematic Design Review Design Development Review Production Review Revisions Final Thesis Due Thesis Presentation

|01| Reach Out to Luke Sawitsky |02| Read Geostories: Another Architecture for the Environment |03| Reach Out to Rania Ghosn |04| Speak With Luke Sawitsky |05| Speak With Rania Ghosn |06| Meet With Robin Dripps |07| Select a Thesis Advisor |08| Reach Out to Marcella Hansch |09| Reach Out to GoJelly jellyfish mucus filter company

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|01| ICMPP 2021: 15 Conference (09.23–09.24, 2021) |02| World Ocean Summit (Dates TBD, March 2022) |03| Sustainable Innovation Design + Processing Conference (Dates TBD, May 2022)

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Preliminary Research Complete Earth Research Complete Ocean Research Complete Deep Sea Ecosystems Complete Micro-Plastic Sources Research Complete Building Precedent Research Complete Biological Precedent Research Complete Particles Research Complete All Research Complete Any Sub-Topic Research Complete

Travel Fellowship Applications Open Establish Site Visit Travel Fellowship Applications Due Site Selection for Thesis Beach Clean-Up Travel & Site Visit

Graduate Research Grant Applications Open Graduate Research Grant Applications Due Find Awards to Apply To Awards Applications

M e t h o d s & S t r a t e g i e s | R e s11e a r c h W o r k p l a n

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| 02 | Precedents

PRECEDENTS

In order to shift our philosophy around waste, we must place higher societal value on our waste management systems. . .

Architects are taking on this challenge to address land-based waste. Projects exploring new ways of interpreting waste management facilities, waste management education, and incorporating sustainable techonologies are emerging. This is a new type of infrastructure typology that I believe will only increase in popularity over time.

including oceanic pollution.

| 02 | Precedents

Solrødgaard Water Treatment Plant by Henning Larsen combines a wastewater treatment facility with a public park. The project encourages educating the public about wastewater, drawing them to the site in a way that builds community, and elevating the beauty of the treatment facility.

Solrødgaard Water Treatment Plant by Henning Larsen in Hillerød, Denmark Due, Jacob “Solrødgaard Water Treatment Plant.” Digital Photo [2019] “https://www.aasarchitecture.com”

| 02 | Precedents

CopenHill by Bjarke Ingels Group combines a waste-toenergy plant with a ski slope to create a public epicenter at a waste treatment facility. This project pushes the bounds of what waste management is, and what it can be. CopenHill by Bjarke Ingels Group in Copenhagen, Denmark Hufton + Crow Architectural Photography “Amager Bakke.” Digital Photo [2020] “https://archpaper.com”

| 02 | Precedents

Sydhavns Recycling Center is at the local scale and functions as a neighborhood gathering place for children to play and learn about recycling. This center caters to families and children to shift the priority of waste management in our lives for the new generation. Education through experience is essential to shifting values.

Sydhavns Recycling Center by Bjarke Ingels Group in Copenhagen, Denmark “Sydhavns Recycling Center.” Digital Rendering “https://dezeen.com”

| 02 | Precedents

Soil Centre Copenhagen by Christensen & Co. focuses on a different type of land-based waste; contaminated soil from construction sites. The building is impeccably designed to promote a healthy work environment and elevate the waste management work of the employees. The building also uses sustainable features such as a green roof, solar panels, interior plants, and strategic daylighting. Low-waste and sustainable building will be important to consider to avoid further pollution.

Soil Centre by Christensen & Co. in Copenhagen, Denmark Mork, Adam “Soil treatment centre by Christensen & Co designed to look like piles of mud.” Digital Photo [2014] “https://dezeen.com”

| 02 | Precedents

Learning Barge by Crisman + Petrus Architects, focuses primarily on community agency through public education of river remediation and sustainable practices. According to one of the architects, Phoebe Crisman, this project focused on using as many salvaged materials as possible. The Learning Barge was conceived of in connection to the Elizabeth River Project to use education as a tool to prevent repollution of the river once it is remediated. This is a great case study to show material re-use strategies and the importance of an educational element to clean-up projects.

Learning Barge by Crisman + Petrus Architects in Portsmouth, VA “Learning Barge.” Digital Photo “https://www.crismanpetrus.us”

| 03 | Existing Waste Stream

EXISTING WASTE STREAM

“The world produces an estimated 10 tons of plastic a second, and between 5 million and 14 million tons sweep into oceans every year.”

Yong, Ed. A, Troubling Discovery in the Deepest Ocean Trenches. The Atlantic

| 03 | Existing Waste Stream

Synthetic Textile Manufacturing

Petroleum Extraction / Synthetic Material Synthesis

Wastewater Treatment

Washing Machine Microfiber Shedding

Wastewater Routed to Tap Water

Consumption in Tap Water

The Oceanic Microplastic Waste Stream 20

| 03 | Existing Waste Stream

Consumption by Humans

Wastewater Routed to the Ocean and Deep Sea

Consumption by Fish in the Human Food Chain

Consumption by Filter Feeders

Consumption of Filter Feeders by Larger Fish

| 03 | Existing Waste Stream

Sythetic Texiles | Plastic Object Breakdown | Microbeads

Microplastic is man-made and comes from the breakdown of larger plastic objects, microbeads, and synthetic textiles. (Kane, Ian & Clare, Michael. Frontiers in Earth Science, 2019)

Key items that breakdown to produce microplastics are tires and fishing gear, but the predominant form of microplastic is microfibers from synthetic textiles. (Kane, Ian & Clare, Michael.

Tires | Fishing Gear | City Dust

Frontiers in Earth Science, 2019)

Up to 1,900 microplastic fibers can be shed from a single garment during one wash cycle. (Browne,

Synthetic Textiles in Washing Machines

The microfibers make their way to wastewater treatment plants in washing machine water. The treatment plants do not filter all the microplastic, so many fibers enter directly into the ocean. Once the fibers are in the ocean, they are consumed by marine life. (Browne, Mark Anthony,

Microfibers From Washing Machine Water Runs Through Wastewater Treatment Plants

Mark Anthony, Phillip Crump, Stewart J. Niven, Emma Teuten, Andrew Tonkin, Tamara Galloway, et al. Environmental Science & Technology, 2011)

Microfibers in the Ocean Consumed by Marine Life

Phillip Crump, Stewart J. Niven, Emma Teuten, Andrew Tonkin, Tamara Galloway, et al. Environmental Science & Technology, 2011)

The marine life is then consumed by you.

You Consume the Marine Life

Additionally, the water from the treatment plants is cleaned and recycled, however the lack of completely effective microplastic filtration means the plastic stays in the water deemed safe for drinking. (Browne, Mark Anthony, Phillip Crump,

Wastewater is Treated and Recycled Into Tap Water

Stewart J. Niven, Emma Teuten, Andrew Tonkin, Tamara Galloway, et al. Environmental Science & Technology, 2011)

You Consume the Tap Water & Marine Life

| 03 | Existing Waste Stream

A human life | 80 years | 700,800 Hours|

Making a synthetic garment | 0.5 Hours|

Washing garments / Shedding Microplastic | 1 Hour |

1,000 years ago the Kingdom of England was founded and most of Europe was still the Byzantine Empire. Comparative Timelines 23

| 03 | Existing Waste Stream

Anthropogenic Origins

| 03 | Existing Waste Stream

Synthetic textiles such as rayon, acrylic, and polyester are the source of the majority of microplastic because the fabric sheds microscopic fibers (Kane, Ian & Clare, Michael. “Seafloor Currents Sweep Microplastics Into Deep-Sea Hotspots of Ocean Life.” theconversation.com). Acrylic, polyester and nylon are derived from petroleum, a finite resource we all know is an environmental threat and rayon comes from purified cellulose steeped in chemical baths (Kaity, Contrado, 2019). Endlessly synthesizing these materials is based on the philosophy that resources are infinite and waste will disappear on its own. This philosophy of waste leads to negative outcomes. You buy your clothes made of these materials because they’re cheap, and then what? You wash them. But one garment can shed up to 1,900 microplastic fibers in a single wash cycle. With approximately 104 million households with washing machines in the U.S. alone . . . that is a lot of microfiber headed for our wastewater treatment plants. The wastewater treatment facilities do not filter all the microplastic, so that treated microplastic water is recycled for your tap water or routed to the oceans (Browne, Mark Anthony, Phillip Crump, Stewart J. Niven, Emma Teuten, Andrew Tonkin, Tamara Galloway, et al. Environmental Science & Technology, 2011).

| 03 | Existing Waste Stream

Oceanographic Forces Oceanological Processes of Microplastic Subduction: when one of the tectonic plates of earth’s crust is pulled downward beneath another.

Subduction at Active Plate Boundary

Trench: Formed by subduction at active plate boundaries.

Trench Forms

Active Plate Boundary: Where geological distrubances occur, such as earthquakes and contintal shelf collapse, resulting in turbidity currents.

Microplastic Deposited Into Ocean

Turbidity Currents Carry Microplastic From Surface to Trench Seafloor

Turbidity Currents: Cause a large amount of sediment to rapidly rush to the ocean depths. The sediment carries microplastic to the bottom of the trench where it settles and accumulates. (National Ocean Service)

Microplastic Accumulates With Each Turbidity Current

Thermohaline Currents: Ocean currents caused by temperature and salinity variance. These currents carry water, and sediments with microplastic, to remote areas of the seafloor.

Thermohaline Currents Carry Water and Sediments With Microplastic From Elsewhere on the Seafloor to the Trench Seafloor

(National Ocean Service)

Microplastic Accumulates 26

| 03 | Existing Waste Stream

Approximately 65% of the earth’s surface is deep ocean

Ocean Depth 28

| 03 | Existing Waste Stream

| 03 | Existing Waste Stream ACTIVE MARGIN

PASSIVE MARGIN

Aleutian Trench Japan Trench

Ryukyu Trench

Peru-Chile Trench Kermadec-Tonga Trench

Berann, Heinrich C, Bruce C Heezen, and Marie Tharp. Manuscript painting of Heezen-Tharp “World ocean floor” map by Berann. [?, 1977] Map. https://www.loc.gov/item/20

Active & Passive Plate Boundary Map 30

| 03 | Existing Waste Stream

Philippine Trench Puerto Rico Trench

Java Trench

010586277/.

| 03 | Existing Waste Stream

Turbidity Current Process Diagram

| 03 | Existing Waste Stream

Oceanic Zones

CONTINENTAL SHELF

CONTINENTAL SLOPE

ABYSSAL PLANE SEAMOUNT OCEAN TRENCH

| 03 | Existing Waste Stream

Continental Shelf Continental Slope Submarine Canyon Abyssal Plane

Ocean Trench

Seamount

Data Source: Kane, Ian A., and Michael A. Clare, ‘Dispersion, Accumulation, and the Ultimate Fate of Microplastics in Deep-Marine Environments: A Review and Future Directions’, Frontiers in Earth Science, 6 (2019)

Microplastic Density Graph 35

| 03 | Existing Waste Stream

Ocean trenches and submarine canyons have the highest recorded densities of microplastics and microplastic fibers of anywhere on the seafloor. Ian A., and Michael A. Clare, ‘Dispersion, Accumulation, and the Ultimate Fate of Microplastics in Deep-Marine Environments: A Review and Future Directions’, Frontiers in Earth Science, (2019)

| 03 | Existing Waste Stream

‘It is alarming to find such high levels of contamination, especially when the full effect of these plastics on the delicate balance of deep-sea ecosystems is unknown,’ Woodall, Lucy C. et al. ‘The Deep Sea Is a Major Sink for Microplastic Debris’, Royal Society Open Science.

| 03 | Existing Waste Stream

Ecosystem Uptake

Microplastics are highly toxic particles that measure less than 5 mm in diameter. Over time, the surface of the microplastic becomes rough. This rough surface coupled with a high surface area to volume ratio makes the microfibers a magnet for toxic chemicals in the ocean. The chemicals accumulate on the surface of the fiber heightening its toxicity.

Clare, Michael A & Kane, Ian A. “Microplastic fibers and microplastic fragments; both from seafloor cores, c. 800 m water depth, Tyrrhenian Sea.” Digital Photo [2019] https://www.frontiersin.org/files/Articles/457987/feart-07-00080-HTML/image_m/feart-07-00080-g001.jpg

| 03 | Existing Waste Stream

“The large surface area-to-volume ratio of microplastics, compared to macroplastics, means they concentrate persistent organic pollutants which can be up to six orders of magnitude more contaminated than ambient seawater and absorb metals.

The subsequent transfer of such pollutants and additives from microplastics to marine organisms has been confirmed under experimental conditions. However, the ecological effects on marine organisms in the wild is understudied and not yet conclusive.” Taylor, M., Gwinnett, C., Robinson, L. et al. Plastic microfibre ingestion by deep-sea organisms. Sci Rep 6, 33997 (2016).

Toxic Chemicals

Kane, Ian. “A Microplastic Fibre Seen Under a Microscope”. Digital Photo. file:///C:/Users/Student/Zotero/storage/JDPU2KLG/seafloor-currents-sweep-microplasticsinto-deep-sea-hotspots-of-ocean-life-137314.html.

| 03 | 03| The | Existing ExistingWaste WasteStream Stream

Degradation

Pristine

Ingested

Deep Sea Water Exposure Kane, Ian. “A Microplastic Fibre Seen Under a Microscope”. Digital Photo. file:///C:/Users/Student/Zotero/storage/JDPU2KLG/seafloor-currents-sweep-microplastics-into-deep-sea-hotspots-of-ocean-life-137314. html.

| 03 | 03| The | Existing ExistingWaste WasteStream Stream

Pristine

Ingested

Deep Sea Water Exposure

| 03 | Existing Waste Stream

Deep Sea Trench Hirondellea Gigas Amphipod Compared to Microplastic

Jamieson, Alan “Hirondellea gigas, an amphipod collected from the Mariana Trench” Digital Photo [2019] “https://theatlantic.com”

| 03 || 05 Existing | Chapter Waste Title Stream

| 03 | Existing Waste Stream

The deep sea trenches of the Hadal Zone are an extreme environment. In the Hadal Zone, there is no light, low temperatures, extreme pressure, and nutrient scarcity. The creatures of this nutrient scarce environment rely on marine snow for sustenance. Marine snow is the continuous shower of particles and debris from the upper oceanic zones (National Ocean Service). However, instead of nutrients, these creatures are eating suspended microplastic and starving to death or the plastic becomes embedded within them after ingestion. In addition to starving, they are also poisoned by the increased toxicity of the microfibers from chemical concentration. Trench seafloors are now hotbeds of chemicals due to these fibers.

Deep Sea Trench Hirondellea Gigas Amphipod Jamieson, Alan “Hirondellea gigas, an amphipod collected from the Mariana Trench” Digital Photo [2019] “https://theatlantic.com”

Taylor, M., Gwinnett, C., Robinson, L. et al. Plastic microfibre ingestion by deep-sea organisms. Sci Rep 6, 33997 (2016).

“Most microplastics found on the seafloor are fibres from clothes and textiles. These are particularly insidious, as they can be eaten and absorbed by organisms. Although microplastics on their own are often non-toxic, studies show the build-up of toxins on their surfaces can harm organisms if ingested.” Kane, Ian & Clare, Michael. “Seafloor Currents Sweep Microplastics Into Deep-Sea Hotspots of Ocean Life.” theconversation.com

Pseudoliparis amblystompsis (Hadal Snailfish) Tatarinov, A.C. “Pseudoliparis amblystompsis” Drawing [2021] “https://en.wikipedia.org/”

Hadal Zone Cusk Eel Sartore, Joel “Cusk Eel” Digital Photo [2018] “https://nationalgeographic.org”

ww.nature.com/scientificreports/

| 03 | Existing Waste Stream

Figure 2. Organisms found to have ingested microfibres and microfibres in situ; (a) blue microfibre from mouth area of sea pen polyp (b) sea pen, JC066-3717; (c) example sea pen polyp; (d) black mirofibre embedded in surface of zoanthid; (e) zoanthids on bamboo coral skeleton, JC094-767; (f) blue microfibre on feeding maxilliped of hermit crab; (g) hermit crab, JC066-702, with symbiotic zoanthid; (h) sea cucumber, JC094-212. Images taken by MLT. Taylor, M. L. et al. Plastic microfibre ingestion by deep-sea organisms. Sci. Rep. 6, 33997; doi: 10.1038/srep33997 (2016).

on ‘marine snow’ (which is the same size fraction as microplastics), and evidence of ingestion in shallow-water 45 counterparts, there is a high likelihood of microplastic ingestion across a wider range of taxa than presented here. However, without the context of environmental sampling of microplastics (water and sediment) or investigations into the impacts of the chemicals ingested, it is not easy to understand the impact microplastic presence will have

| 03 | Existing Waste Stream

Anthropogenic Conclusions Hadal Zone creatures from amphipods to snailfish and cusk eels end up full of plastic and toxic chemicals. Then, they are eaten by larger sea life and enter the human food chain. (NPR.org, 2019) So, if you do not get your daily dose of microplastic from your tap water, you get it from your seafood as a negative outcome of society not recognizing the closed loop system with our oceans.

Some estimate that by 2050 there will be a greater mass of plastic in the sea than fish . . .

The effects of human microplastic consumption is still unknown. However, given the negative effects on sea life, we can assume it will not be good.

(University of Georgia, 2017)

Microplastics have been found everywhere on Earth, including in humans, sea life, and the bottom of the Mariana Trench . . .

Monitoring the long-term impact of this pollutant is crucial to understanding the full spectrum of its health impacts.

(National Geographic, 2020)

| 03 | Existing Waste Stream

| 04 | Envisioned Waste Stream

ENVISIONED WASTE STREAM

How can we, as architects, address this problem?

Architects are perfectly situated at the intersection of creative problem solving, encouraging cultural change through education and participation, and capturing our societal values through beauty. I envision an altered system that goes beyond halting the production of synthetic textiles. I imagine a land-based intervention combining wastewater treatment with microplastic filtration and public education programming. Then, roaming microplastic capture with a technological connection to the public will deliver the microplastic to be decomposed with bio-cocktails at a seaside microplastic decomposition center associated with a community program. In addition, we must monitor the long-term effects of microplastic on the Hadal Zone through deep sea research centers with residency programs for artists and scientists. It is urgently essential that this issue is brought into the public consciousness to change the broader philosophy of our place in closed loop systems and elevate our value of oceanic waste management.

The key is to shift the system back to neutral not only by functionally addressing the current issue, but by changing values so that we do not continue this cycle.

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It is critical to tackle this issue in an interdisciplinary way. Many other disciplines are already generating new discoveries, technologies, policy solutions, and public awareness campaigns that architects can use to inform their work. Oceanographers, ecologists, material scientists, biotechnologists, politicians, environmental scientists, artists, product designers, architects, and others from all over the world are making strides to address this issue.

Jellyﬁsh mucus ﬁlters | Photo source Mathilda Khoo on Unsplash Innovation

Scie nce

Je llyﬁs h mucus ﬁlte r he lps minimis e plas tic was te in s e awate r

JELLYFISH MUCUS FILTER HELPS MINIMISE PLASTIC WASTE IN SEAWATER SCIENCE

Researchers are using a new ﬁlter made from jellyﬁsh mucus to reduce plastic waste found in seawater.

Scientists from 15 scientific institutions across eight countries are collaborating in a project called GoJelly which aims to develop a gelatinous solution to plastic pollution in the sea. The project bega in 2017, receiving four-year funding by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme and the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research in Kiel, Germany is coordinatin the project. The new solution to minimising plastic waste in seawater uses a microplastics filter made from jellyfish mucus. Dr Dror Angel, Laboratory Head at the University of Haifa’s Department of Maritime Civilizatons, has been leading a team of researchers to create the filter. The scientists will also be testing the suitability of jellyfish as fertilizers or fish feed.

The next stages will include testing various plastic particles and sourcing large numbers of jellyfish from the sea. As well as reducing plastic pollution, the project will create more jobs for commercia fishers to harvest jellyfish in off -seasons. Dr Jamileh Javidpour, Project Coordinator from GEOMAR, said: “We hope that not only we will widen our knowledge about jellyfish and their lives, but also lay the groundwork for innovative and environmentally friendly new products that will eventually create new jobs”. The project stakeholders – including industry partners and commercial fishers – will tes the prototype in the Norwegian, Baltic and Mediterranean seas. 4th September 2018 Email: gojelly-info@geomar.de

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Synthetic Textile Manufacturing

Petroleum Extraction / Synthetic Material Synthesis

Wastewater Treatment

Washing Machine Microfiber Shedding

Wastewater Routed to Tap Water

Improve Wastewater Treatment + Broad Community Engagement Consumption in Tap Water

Points of Alteration 50

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Consumption by Humans

Deep Sea Research Centers

Wastewater Routed to the Ocean and Deep Sea

Consumption by Fish in the Human Food Chain

Consumption by Filter Feeders

Consumption of Filter Feeders by Larger Fish

Roaming Microplastic Collection Microplastic Decomposition Center + Local Community Engagement 51

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Improved Wastewater Treatment + Water Sports This point of alteration to the existing system is key to addressing the damage of this waste stream. Existing wastewater treatment plants are not effectively filtering microplastic. The wastewater containing microplastics from washing machines is recycled into tap water and deposited into the oceans. The treatment centers themselves typically exist on the fringes of urban environments and are not central to community life. While the treatment centers are functional, they are not beautiful. Architecturally, they leave much to be desired. This project would center wastewater treatment within the community and associate it with fun activities that connect people to the oceans. The collage to the right imagines a new type of wastewater treatment center located in an urban center featuring water sports recreation. The goal would be to draw the public to the location so that they connect the importance of wastewater treatment to their communities. The water sports recreation part of the project could also have a more explicit educational element teaching visitors about new wastewater initiatives.

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The collage above depicts the Formentera Water Sports Center by Maria Castello Martinez on the Miami beachfront with wastewater treatment facilities that can be integrated with water sports activities. 53

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Microplastic Collector + Education Through Technology A key element to remediate this waste stream is existing microplastic removal from our oceans. This imagined microplastic collector would roam the seas filtering microplastics out of the water. The collector would incorporate the latest sustainable microplastic filtering technologies to avoid harming sealife and causing pollution. Ideally it would float passively. Another permutation of this collector could be anchored in one place letting the currents filter water through it. In order to appropriately address the scale of the issue, there would need to be a multitude of these collectors. Public engagement with these interventions could be through social media. The collectors could livestream an underwater feed and use sensors to produce regular datasets updating the public on the progress of the intiative. The collected microplastics would then be transported to decomposition centers for breakdown.

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Decomposition Center + Seaside Pools The microplastic decomposition centers would be smaller scale than the wastewater treatment facilities. They could feel more local and focus on neighborhood engagement. A calm seaside site would work well for this intervention because it will be easily accessible to all. The plastic-eating fungus itself requires hot and humid conditions to thrive, but it does not require oxygen, which provides some interesting design opportunities.

The decomposition centers could be partially submerged to allow visitors to observe the fungal beds while they swim. The heat emitted from the decomposition process and fungus environment could be used to heat adjacent pools. Swimmers would be able to experience the tangible effects of micro-plasticless water filtered by the fungus. The collage (right) uses Snohetta’s Under restaurant to show the type of environment these fungal beds could occupy and the opportunity for swimmers to look in on the process.

The scale of these decomposition centers is important because a smaller scale intervention will feel more local and place-based. It is important for communities to recognize the decomposition center as part of their neighborhood public space to encourage a feeling of ownership. Wellconsidered waste management can be an asset to a neighborhood as well as an asset to tackling global waste issues.

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Deep Sea Research Centers Once the oceanic microplastic waste stream is altered to prevent future microplastic and begin to clean up existing microplastic, there will need to be continued research into how microplastic effects the environment. Right now, little is known about the long-term impacts of microplastic. These research centers would highlight the need for this area of study, specifically in deep sea trenches where the microplastic density is highest. The research centers would be small and able to host people underwater overnight. They would need to be prefabricated and specially designed to withstand high pressures and the need for oxygen. When there are not researchers using one of the facilities, the unit could be rented to generate revenue and excitement around the deep-sea environment. School groups could travel to see the research taking place and visit the centers. The goal would be not only to provide facilities for research but encourage public engagement with the centers to broaden our understanding of our connection to the oceans. Technological strides are already being made in underwater building. These research centers exist in an evisioned future where new technologies are employed to make these feasible occupied spaces.

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In the collage above, deep sea trench walls receive perched research outposts that monitor the long-term effects of microplastic on the deep sea ecosystems. These research centers are represented by one of the buildings from Zumthor’s Allmannajuvet Zinc Mine Museum for scalar context. The process of building these centers will need to carefully consider waste generation and take care not to pollute the environments they study.

An alternate to fixed research centers could be submarines that dock to the trench walls only when necessary and leave almost no trace behind.

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