The Circle Line Water Experience was a very interesting trip.We left from the west pier on 42nd street and descended the Hudson, eventually stopping for a bit in front of the Statue of Liberty. We then went up the East River and saw the coast of North Brooklyn. The ship we ascended was two stories; I sat outside on the upper level. When I wasn’t hiding my face from the wind, I was staring out at all of my surroundings. The water looked a bit murky and had a slightly greenish color to it, possibly because it was very sunny out. Still, there were plenty of seagulls and other birds who deemed it safe enough to float in. There were lots of tour boats, especially around the Statue of Liberty.
We learned plenty about the water and environment of the rivers we were sailing on. The river is quite polluted. There are about 165 million pieces of plastic in the river, mostly polystyrene foam and feces. 85% of these plastics were microplastics, items like the beads found in soap and acne wash. All these beads and other plastics get flushed into the river, where they do not biodegrade. They can become consumed by fish or picked up by a fish to be fed to their offspring. When they are in the water, plastics also act as a sponge for pesticides, which further harms the creatures that may accidentally consume them. The overabundance of human defecation is also a pollution factor in the river. If every person of New York City defecates one pound per day thats about 20 million pounds of feces that are discharged into the waste plant every day. The river water can become contaminated with these feces, which is why its important to test the waters around New York City for pollutants and waste.
