9 ms·

Mangroves on a Landfill

61 points by prismatic 4y ago

bilsbie 4y ago
Along this vein I’d be curious if we could grow mangroves on the pacific garbage patch? The shade and roots might even attract enough fish to provide the plants with fertilizer.
- changoplatanero 4y ago
  You know that the pacific garbage patch is not a solid patch or floating garbage, right?
- esaym 4y ago
  Uhh, in salt water???
  - deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]
  - Jtsummers 4y ago
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangrove https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangrove Mangroves can handle salt water. The issue is that they aren't actually free-floating forests out in the ocean, which is what GP would need for their idea.
    - bpodgursky 4y ago
      Well and the patch is like 4 plastic particles per cubic meter.
      - Jtsummers 4y ago
        That too, but addressed by another response.
      - worthless-trash 4y ago
        Thats.. not that much.
- dehrmann 4y ago
  > Despite the common public perception of the patch existing as giant islands of floating garbage, its low density (4 particles per cubic metre (3.1/cu yd)) prevents detection by satellite imagery, or even by casual boaters or divers in the area. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Pacific_garbage_patch https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Pacific_garbage_patch
UberFly 4y ago
I've seen such photos before but I can never get over how those garbage beaches look.
- daveguy 4y ago
  I think the point is that the garbage was already there. This is a significant improvement.
  - UberFly 4y ago
    Yea I get that part.
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
gedy 4y ago
Encouraging, but also still struck and saddened by how filthy Manila Bay is. The amount of garbage in that one location alone makes things like banning disposable straws, etc seem pointless in comparison.
aarondf 4y ago
If this interests you, I've been watching a lot of permaculture and regenerative agriculture videos on YouTube and there is some really encouraging stuff going on out there! I have no idea how to make the restorative stuff go more mainstream, but it's really impressive to watch small communities or determined individuals entirely change a landscape in a few decades. A few I've enjoyed: - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T39QHprz-x8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T39QHprz-x8 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSPkcpGmflE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSPkcpGmflE - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4OBcRHX1Bc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4OBcRHX1Bc - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuYGS5pLRZg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuYGS5pLRZg - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yORlix6CV60 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yORlix6CV60
- hinkley 4y ago
  Where these two disciplines are likely to shine most is that both of them honor the role of fungi in the ecosystem. One of the areas we're discovering is that fungi have ways to deal with some soil contaminants. There are some soil scientists that are pushing for different ways of testing mineral contents of soil based on bioavailability instead of counting parts per billion. I recall years ago when SuperCritical Water Oxidation (SCWO) was a thing that they were eager to point out that fully oxidized lead is less toxic, and that SCWO oxidizes basically everything you put into it (including the ceramic liner). When SCWO proved difficult to scale up to industrial levels, they researched using it just for cleanup of superfund sites. I've seen some comments in the few papers I've read on soil fungi that some oxidize toxic metals and others compartmentalize them so they don't affect cellular processes.
- luckylion 4y ago
  I've enjoyed a few of those as well, but there's one thing that keep bugging me. Supposedly it takes very little time, little investment (a few people doing most of it by hand with some guidance) and works like magic (e.g. Al Baydha Project). Why isn't there a "revolution" happening and every neighboring area also adopting that approach? So much of it seems so obvious, I'd expect some people with excavators building some berms in the US deserts and the place exploding with life in a year or three. But it doesn't happen. Why? Are there any issues that aren't shown in the films? Are there powerful enemies (who wants to keep the desert deserted?) that are lobbying against it?
aaron695 4y ago

61 points by prismatic 4y ago

Along this vein I’d be curious if we could grow mangroves on the pacific garbage patch? The shade and roots might even attract enough fish to provide the plants with fertilizer.

changoplatanero 4y ago
You know that the pacific garbage patch is not a solid patch or floating garbage, right?
esaym 4y ago
Uhh, in salt water???
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
- Jtsummers 4y ago
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangrove https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangrove Mangroves can handle salt water. The issue is that they aren't actually free-floating forests out in the ocean, which is what GP would need for their idea.
  - bpodgursky 4y ago
    Well and the patch is like 4 plastic particles per cubic meter.
    - Jtsummers 4y ago
      That too, but addressed by another response.
    - worthless-trash 4y ago
      Thats.. not that much.
dehrmann 4y ago
> Despite the common public perception of the patch existing as giant islands of floating garbage, its low density (4 particles per cubic metre (3.1/cu yd)) prevents detection by satellite imagery, or even by casual boaters or divers in the area. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Pacific_garbage_patch https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Pacific_garbage_patch

UberFly 4y ago

I've seen such photos before but I can never get over how those garbage beaches look.

daveguy 4y ago
I think the point is that the garbage was already there. This is a significant improvement.
- UberFly 4y ago
  Yea I get that part.

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]

gedy 4y ago

Encouraging, but also still struck and saddened by how filthy Manila Bay is. The amount of garbage in that one location alone makes things like banning disposable straws, etc seem pointless in comparison.

aarondf 4y ago

If this interests you, I've been watching a lot of permaculture and regenerative agriculture videos on YouTube and there is some really encouraging stuff going on out there! I have no idea how to make the restorative stuff go more mainstream, but it's really impressive to watch small communities or determined individuals entirely change a landscape in a few decades. A few I've enjoyed: - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T39QHprz-x8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T39QHprz-x8 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSPkcpGmflE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSPkcpGmflE - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4OBcRHX1Bc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4OBcRHX1Bc - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuYGS5pLRZg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuYGS5pLRZg - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yORlix6CV60 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yORlix6CV60

hinkley 4y ago
Where these two disciplines are likely to shine most is that both of them honor the role of fungi in the ecosystem. One of the areas we're discovering is that fungi have ways to deal with some soil contaminants. There are some soil scientists that are pushing for different ways of testing mineral contents of soil based on bioavailability instead of counting parts per billion. I recall years ago when SuperCritical Water Oxidation (SCWO) was a thing that they were eager to point out that fully oxidized lead is less toxic, and that SCWO oxidizes basically everything you put into it (including the ceramic liner). When SCWO proved difficult to scale up to industrial levels, they researched using it just for cleanup of superfund sites. I've seen some comments in the few papers I've read on soil fungi that some oxidize toxic metals and others compartmentalize them so they don't affect cellular processes.
luckylion 4y ago
I've enjoyed a few of those as well, but there's one thing that keep bugging me. Supposedly it takes very little time, little investment (a few people doing most of it by hand with some guidance) and works like magic (e.g. Al Baydha Project). Why isn't there a "revolution" happening and every neighboring area also adopting that approach? So much of it seems so obvious, I'd expect some people with excavators building some berms in the US deserts and the place exploding with life in a year or three. But it doesn't happen. Why? Are there any issues that aren't shown in the films? Are there powerful enemies (who wants to keep the desert deserted?) that are lobbying against it?

aaron695 4y ago