coastal cleanup – Aquarius-Systems

Thousands of Golf Balls Removed From Monterey Bay Raise Concerns About Marine Pollution

Tue, 26 Feb 2019 19:37:51 +0000

Alex Weber, a junior at Carmel High School in California, and her friend Jack Johnston had repeatedly come across large numbers of golf balls on the ocean floor while snorkeling in the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary near the town of Carmel-by-the-Sea.

As environmentally conscious teens, they started removing golf balls from the water, one by one. By the time Alex contacted me, they had retrieved over 10,000 golf balls – more than half a ton.

Alex, her friends and her father paddled, dove, heaved and hauled. By mid-2018 the results were startling: They had collected nearly 40,000 golf balls from three sites near coastal golf courses: Cypress Point, Pebble Beach and the Carmel River Mouth. And following Alex’s encouragement, Pebble Beach employees started to retrieve golf balls from beaches next to their course, amassing more than 10,000 additional balls.

Modern golf balls are made of a polyurethane elastomer shell and a synthetic rubber core. Manufacturers add zinc oxide, zinc acrylate and benzoyl peroxide to the solid core for flexibility and durability. These substances are also acutely toxic to marine life.

When golf balls are hit into the ocean, they immediately sink to the bottom. No ill effects on local wildlife have been documented to date from exposure to golf balls. But as the balls degrade and fragment at sea, they may leach chemicals and microplastics into the water or sediments. Moreover, if the balls break into small fragments, fish, birds or other animals could ingest them.

The Titan Series® Skimmer Takes on New York City’s Toughest Waters

Tue, 04 Jun 2013 11:24:07 +0000

Watching our boats at work never gets old—but seeing The Titan framed by the massive skyline of Brooklyn is something special. The scale says it all: a powerful, purpose-built vessel operating confidently in one of the most demanding urban waterfronts in the world. It’s a reminder that even in a city defined by its size and energy, thoughtful solutions can quietly make a big impact.

Built specifically for the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, The Titan is a marine debris skimmer engineered to perform in tough conditions, including Sea State 4. Designed for ports, harbors, and coastal areas exposed to wind, waves, and heavy traffic, it delivers reliable debris removal where lighter equipment simply won’t hold up. It’s a practical, hard-working solution for keeping busy waterways cleaner—no matter how harsh the environment.