Can innovative projects turn the tide on plastic litter in our seas?

Every single minute, two truckloads of plastic are dumped into rivers and seas across the globe. This huge tide of refuse is having a catastrophic impact. New recycling methods and sustainable alternatives could help to get a grip on the problem. In the western German city of Cologne, an association called KRAKE has brought the first floating litter collector to a German river. The specially-designed construction traps trash floating in the River Rhine, such as sneakers, plastic bottles and plastic pellets. Every time its volunteer workers empty the giant basket, they help to reduce the volume of plastic carried into the North Sea by the Rhine.

How humans are exploiting the oceans |

Deep down in the ocean, valuable raw materials are stored en masse: manganese, nickel, cobalt, copper. Many of these materials are currently in great demand. Technically, it is possible to harvest manganese nodules, for example, in the deep sea. But should we do it? Even among the researchers aboard the "Island Pride," opinions differ. They are part of a deep-sea expedition to research the possible effects of harvesting raw materials on the ocean floor. What will be the consequences if humans exploit these valuable deposits? Will it destroy the fragile underwater environment?

What causes monster waves?

 Statistically, a large ship is lost in the world’s oceans almost once every seven days. One reason for this: monster waves that appear to come from nowhere. Unlike tsunamis, they are completely unpredictable. That means there’s no way to issue any kind of warning.

Scientists still know astonishingly little about these freak waves. For centuries, many people dismissed them as the stuff of legend. The first scientific proof of their existence didn’t come until 1995. A laser on the Draupner oil rig in the North Sea measured a wave almost 26 meters high. Wave models in use at the time deemed this to be an impossibility. But the data, captured by chance, changed the course of research forever.

Disappearing beaches - The trouble with sand

 

Around the world, beaches are under threat. Severe storms and sea levels are rising. Huge quantities of sand are being washed away into the ocean. Even entire islands are in existential danger.

New Zealand: Trapped in the Volcano

We investigate how a luxury cruise turned into a deadly nightmare when a volcano erupted on New Zealand's White Island.

It was meant to be the cruise of a lifetime.

A trip on Ovation of the Seas promised the opportunity to get up close to New Zealand's renowned natural beauty.

But on the afternoon of December 9, 2019, tragedy struck.

Cruise ship passengers and other day-trippers became trapped in the middle of a volcanic eruption on White Island - 21 people died, 19 of them were from the Ovation of the Seas.