Issue 90 - November 2022

Storied Seas: The Names and Tales of Sanctuary Places

Contributed By Elizabeth Moore

This chart, c. 1790, by George Gauld was based on his surveys of Florida and the Gulf Coast in the mid 1770s. Chart courtesy of Florida Memory, the State Library and Archives of Florida.

By Any Other Name

We humans like to name things, placing monikers on everything around us—cliffs, coves, bays, anything of geographic significance. We renamed as new cultures evolved from older ones and colonists displaced native peoples, using different names in different languages. As we examine the records of human coastal habitation and use, from the oral traditions of the first people to settle along our shores, to early maps and charts of European explorers to more modern documents, we find names layered on top of one another in a historic collage.

As we explored out into and under our seas, there too we found features worth naming. While today, naming an underwater feature is a formalized process coordinated by international organizations, many names of underwater features reflect the history of how, and often who, discovered them. Your national marine sanctuaries have names too, usually derived from the geographic area they encompass or the resources they protect. But where did those names come from in the first place? Let’s take a voyage and learn the stories behind the names of some of the nation’s most important ocean places.

A section of this 1903 nautical chart of the Potomac River shows Mallows Bay. Image courtesy of NOAA’s Coast and Geodetic Survey.

A sketch of Point Sur by George Davidson adorns an 1869 nautical chart of the area. Image courtesy of NOAA’s Coast and Geodetic Survey

From Geography

Some national marine sanctuaries are named for their geography. Mallows Bay-Potomac River National Marine Sanctuary is named for the area around the wooden steamship graveyard it protects. The exact origin of the name Mallows is unknown, but is believed to come from an early colonial family named Mallow or Marlowe who lived in the area. Both names were used in maps and documents into the late 19th century but Mallows won out by the early 20th century and appeared on official maps of the area since then.

Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary too is named after the bay at the center of this expansive protected area. At first dubbed La Bahia de los Pinos (“the bay of pines”) in 1542 by Portuguese explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, the city of Monterey gained its present name from Spanish explorer Sebastián Vizcaíno, possibly after the Spanish city Monterrei, meaning “mountain of the king.”

Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary takes its name from the Olympic Peninsula it abuts, including the Olympic Mountains named by Englishman John Meares in 1774 after the highest mountain in Greece, Mount Olympus, the mythological Greek home of the gods.

Humpback whales linger in the sanctuary that they inspired: Hawaiian Island Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary. Image: NOAA, taken under permit #774-1714.

From Resources

Several of the national marine sanctuaries are obviously named for the resources they protect. Monitor National Marine Sanctuary, for example, protects the wreck of the Civil-War ironclad USS Monitor. Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary is named for the humpback whale and Hawaiian habitat it protects.

Another sanctuary’s name is also inspired by the resources it protects but perhaps not as obviously as other sites, and that is Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. The banks we now call “flower gardens” were first discovered by snapper and grouper fishermen in the late 1800s. They named the banks after the sponges, algae, corals, and other marine life they could see on the colorful reefs below their boats, the colors so rich it reminded them of gardens full of blooms. The name was already in use during the first survey conducted by the U.S. Coast Survey in 1936.

A diver on a research dive in 1967 takes samples in what is now Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. Image: World Book Science Series

In Honor of Scientists

Portrait of Henry Stellwagen, courtesy of the U.S. Navy.

Many ocean places are named after the people who discovered or explored them first, almost always a man. Several sanctuaries and their central features were named for surveyors of our sister agency at NOAA, the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, which is responsible for charting U.S. waters. Davidson Seamount, protected by Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary and the first to be characterized as a “seamount” in 1938 by the United States Board on Geographic Names, was named in honor of surveyor George Davidson. Cordell Bank, off the California coast and the centerpiece of the sanctuary that bears its name, was originally discovered by Davidson in 1853. By tradition the bank should have been named for him, but it was fellow surveyor Edward Cordell who was given that honor. Cordell carried out a more thorough survey of the bank in 1869. After he died unexpectedly of a seizure in San Francisco the following year, the bank was named after him.

Some years earlier, Cordell, as a new hydrographer with the Coast Survey, accompanied naval officer Henry S. Stellwagen as he surveyed a bank off the coast of Massachusetts that was later named for him (as is the sanctuary that protects it). The bank was long known to fishers and others from colonial times because of its rich productivity, and had the unofficial name “Middle Ground.” But the bank was eventually named in 1854 for Stellwagen, who carried out the first detailed exploration of the bank in 1854 and 1855.

Tunicates come in many colors in Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary. Image: Greg McFall/NOAA

Scientists too find their due in places they’ve studied. Milton B. “Sam” Gray, a biological collector and curator at the University of Georgia Marine Institute, conducted the first known survey of the reef that now bears his name in 1961 and was created as Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary twenty years later. Ten of the banks added to the sanctuary in the 2021 expansion of Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary bear the names of oceanographers, geographers, and geophysicists who conducted research there and helped pioneer the drive for a sanctuary to protect the productive banks.

Native American Influences

Some of our places—those that were apparent to early human inhabitants and later European explorers, like islands and bays—carry far older names. The islands at the center of Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary bore the original Chumash names of Tuqan (San Miguel), Wi’ma (Santa Rosa), Limuw (Santa Cruz), and ‘Anyapax (Anacapa). Santa Barbara Island was called siwotʰ by the Tongva people, who may have accessed it seasonally, along with visits from Chumash people. The oldest chart held by NOAA of the area—a 1791 nautical chart drawn by British officer George Vancouver—bears the names for Catholic saints given to the islands by Spanish explorer Sebastián Vizcaíno in the early 1600s.

Northward along the California coast, the name used by the first inhabitants for what we now call the Farallon Islands is lost. The first European name given to them was the Islands of Saint James, by Francis Drake. But that name didn’t stick to the craggy islands. What did was Farallones, named from the Spanish word meaning a rocky island. An 1850 nautical chart, one of the earliest naming the island group, lists the full name as Farallones de los Frayles: the rocky islets of the brothers. Friar Antonio de la Ascensión, a member of the Spanish explorer Sebastián Vizcaíno’s 1603 expedition, is credited with bestowing the name. In 2015, during an event celebrating the expansion of Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary, elders of the Kashia people, a band of the Pomo Tribe, granted the sanctuary a name in their native language: “Ahqa Pilili walli,” which translates to “the place of churning water.”

The wreck of American Union in Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary bears testimony to the deadly storms of the region. This vessel ran aground during a storm in 1894 and though no crew members were lost, the vessel was lost. Image: Tane Casserley/NOAA

Though place names used by the original Native Americans in Florida—such as the Calusa and the Tequesta—linger in the modern appellations of some cities and geographic features, the state’s name derives from Spanish explorers. Juan Ponce De León named the state in 1513 in honor of the Feast of Flowers, Pascua Florida, Spain’s Easter celebration. Though the original name given to the Keys by De León was Los Martires, the Martyrs (he thought the low-lying islands looked like suffering men), the archipelago was eventually named for the state and the Spanish word cayo (small island), from which the word key derives. What is now known as “Key West” was originally called “Cayo Hueso”, which means island of bones. Some believe they called it this because it was littered with the bones of the Calusa and other Native Americans who inhabited the keys. Others believe it got its name from the bone-like appearance of the limestone rock formation. Either way, eventually English-speaking settlers started calling it Key West, because hueso sounded like west, and it was the western-most key in the island chain.

In Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary, though the Native American name of Thunder Bay is uncertain, its modern name may nevertheless result from early stories about it. “Thunder Bay” traces back to the old French name “L’anse du Tunnere,” which appeared on French maps as early as 1688, which may reflect a similar meaning Native American name for the area. According to oral tradition, while canoeing across Thunder Bay, the daughter of an Ottawa chief and her suitor were killed by a jealous rival, much to the dislike of the Manitou, or Great Spirit. A roar of thunder and flash of lightning followed and afterward the area was known as the Bay of Thunder.

Two areas—one a new sanctuary and the other currently in a designation process—bear names derived from Native American words. The new Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary takes its name from the state of Wisconsin. “Wisconsin,” according to the Wisconsin Historical Society, derives from a word of the Miami Tribe meaning “river that meanders through something red.” The proposed Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary, is named for the Great Lake in which it is situated. The name “Ontario” is thought to come from Native American words that may mean “beautiful lake or water” or “sparkling water.”

Pacific Traditions

Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument comes from an ancient Hawaiian tradition concerning the genealogy and formation of the Hawaiian Islands, and a deep honoring of the dualisms of life. Papahānaumoku is a mother figure personified by the earth and Wākea is a father figure personified in the expansive sky; the two are honored and highly recognized ancestors of Native Hawaiian people. Their union resulted in the creation, or birthing, of the entire Hawaiian archipelago––thus the naming of the monument is to honor and preserve these names, to strengthen Hawaii’s cultural foundation, and to ground Hawaiians in an important part of their history.

This chart of the monument shows the original Hawaiian names of the islands. Image: NOAA

The monument was named in 2007 through a process of working with Native Hawaiian elders to craft the appropriate name for such a sacred place. Efforts are also in motion to reclaim the Hawaiian names of the islands that comprise the monument from the more modern appellations they bear, many of the Hawaiian names deriving from the wildlife that lives in the monument. For example, Midway Atoll, famed for the World War II battle that decisively turned the tide of war in the Pacific toward American victory, is called Pihemanu, meaning “loud din of birds,” reflecting the millions of birds that come to the atoll each year. Pearl and Hermes Atoll, named for the wrecks of two English whalers lost there in 1822, is called Holoikauaua, honoring the Hawaiian monk seals (‘īlioholoikauaua in Hawaiian) that frequent the low, sandy beaches. Gardner Pinnacles, named so by Captain Joseph Allen of the whaler Maro in 1820, is called Pūhāhonu in Hawaiian, based on its resemblance to a surfacing honu (green sea turtle), head and shell rising above water as it comes up for air.

The same holds true for Rose Atoll Marine National Monument encompassed by National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa. Though its English name reflects the pink coralline algae found in abundance at the atoll, its older Samoan name Nu‘u O Manu means “village of seabirds.” Similarly, the name of the territory, Samoa, itself derives from a word that might mean “place of the moa,” a now-extinct large flightless bird.

A reef fish swims among the pink coralline algae that gives Rose Atoll its name. Image: Mark Manuel/NOAA

What’s in a Name?

When humans name something, it’s because we think it is valuable. We also create protected areas to preserve resources that we think are important. No matter their name, the nation’s national marine sanctuaries and national marine monuments all still do the same thing: study, share, and protect the most valuable ocean places in the nation.

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Related Topics:history Ocean Literacy story from the sea

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Issue 90 - November 2022

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Issue 90 - November 2022

Blind Spots in the Monitoring of Plastic Waste

By Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)

KIT researchers and partners suspect that much more plastic is transported in flowing waters than previously assumed and are developing new modeling approaches

The researchers used river models filled with plastic waste for their study. Credit: Daniel Valero / KIT

Whether in drinking water, food, or even in the air: plastic is a global problem – and the full extent of this pollution may go beyond what we know yet. Researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and partners from the Netherlands and Australia have reviewed conventional assumptions for the transport of plastic in rivers. The actual amount of plastic waste in rivers could be up to 90 percent greater than previously assumed. The new findings should help improve monitoring and remove plastic from water bodies. Publication in Water Research. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2022.119078

Rivers play a key role in the transport of plastic into the environment. “As soon as plastic enters a river, it is transported rapidly and can spread throughout the environment,” says Dr. Daniel Valero from the Institute of Water and River Basin Management at KIT and lead author of a new study on plastic transport. “But, depending on its size and material, plastic can behave very differently. It can sink, be suspended in the water, remain afloat or be stopped by obstacles.” However, current methods for estimating plastic pollution in rivers are mainly based on surface observations. “This is the only way to monitor large rivers from bridges effectively. However, what happens under the water surface has not been sufficiently verified so far,” says Valero.

Plastic particles are transported very differently

Together with his research partners, Valero now investigated the behaviour of over 3,000 particles in the size range from 30 millimetres to larger objects such as plastic cups in flowing waters. In laboratory models, each individual particle was tracked in 3D with millimetre precision using a multi-camera system, whereby the entire water column – from the water surface to the bottom – was recorded. With this experiment, the researchers statistically proved that plastic particles behave very differently depending on where they are located in a river. Plastic that is transported below the water surface behaves as predicted by common models for turbulent flows. “The particles are dispersed like dust in the wind” says Valero. As soon as plastic emerges the water surface, however, the situation changes radically: “On contact with the water surface, the particles are caught by the surface tension like flies in a spider’s web. Then they cannot escape easily.” This adhesive effect is just as relevant for surface transport in rivers as the specific buoyancy of a plastic particle.

Better models for visual monitoring

On the one hand, the results of the experiment show that it is not enough to consider only floating plastic on the surface to estimate the amount of plastic in rivers. “The bias is significant. Suppose the turbulent character of the transport of plastic particles under the water surface is not considered. In that case, the amount of plastic waste in rivers can be underestimated by up to 90 percent,” says Daniel Valero. On the other hand, the results confirm that existing knowledge about the behaviour of particles in turbulent flows is relevant for the transport of plastic in rivers and can help estimate the total amount more realistically. To this end, the researchers have quantified the ratio between concentrations of plastic particles at the water surface and at greater depths with different transport conditions. On this basis, monitoring can still be carried out by visual observation of the water surface and the actual transported quantity can be calculated relatively accurately. In addition, the results can help in a very practical way, namely in developing new approaches for plastic removal: “If you can estimate where the most plastic is, then you also know where a clean-up is most effective,” says Valero. (mhe)

Experimental flume. A Side view, B sketch and main dimensions, C granulometry of the sand plates (and median grain size, ), D channel view from downstream (dry channel), E observation window and ArUco markers for automatic camera referencing, F front cameras arrangement and G fixation of a frontal camera. Front cameras are fixed in a different side channel (1.53 m apart), and are separated 34 to 43 cm from the central one. Upper cameras (F) are at the free surface level (H).

Original publication

Daniel Valero, Biruk S. Belay, Antonio Moreno-Rodenas, Matthias Kramer, Mário J. Franca: The key role of surface tension in transporting and quantifying plastic pollution in rivers. Water Research, 2022. DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2022.119078

More information: https://www.klima-umwelt.kit.edu

About KIT

Being “The Research University in the Helmholtz Association”, KIT creates and imparts knowledge for society and the environment. It is the objective to make significant contributions to the global challenges in the fields of energy, mobility, and information. For this, about 9,800 employees cooperate in a broad range of disciplines in natural sciences, engineering sciences, economics, and the humanities and social sciences. KIT prepares its 22,300 students for responsible social, industry, and science tasks by offering research-based study programs. Innovation efforts at KIT build a bridge between important scientific findings and their application for the benefit of society, economic prosperity, and the preservation of our natural basis of life. KIT is one of the German universities of excellence.

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Issue 90 - November 2022

Plastic Makes Up 81% of Trash Recorded in National Parks

Contributed by Trashblitz

PLASTIC ITEMS MAKE UP 81 PERCENT OF WASTE FOUND ACROSS U.S. NATIONAL PARKS
Results from Community Research Project Underscore Urgent Need to Address Single-Use Plastic in National Parks

SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA — The 5 Gyres Institute and partners reveal findings from Plastic-Free Parks TrashBlitz, a community science project tracking plastic pollution in U.S. national parks. According to data submitted by volunteers, plastic is the most prevalent material found across national parks and federal lands, making up 81 percent of all trash recorded.

Food and drink-related items made up the bulk of waste found, comprising 45 percent of total trash recorded. Cigarette butts, food wrappers, plastic bottles, bottle caps, and textiles were the most common items found. Repeatedly topping the list of top corporate plastic polluters in the world, Coca-Cola, Nestle, and PepsiCo were among the top 10 brands identified, along with Camel, Marlboro, Nature Valley, Gatorade, Crystal Geyser, Parliament, and Kirkland.

Project partners mobilized volunteers across the country to organize cleanups from July through September and input their findings into the TrashBlitz research platform. More than 500 volunteers participated in cleanups at 44 sites around the country, including national parks and federal lands like urban parks, forests, and monuments managed by the National Park Service. TrashBlitz volunteers also sampled data at Yosemite Facelift, an annual, five-day cleanup event in Yosemite National Park during which 1,300 volunteers collected 14,780 pounds of trash.

The data from Plastic-Free Parks TrashBlitz underscores an urgent need for policy change and legislation that addresses single-use plastic in national parks. Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of the Interior announced an order to phase out the sale of single-use plastic on federal lands by 2032, but these results show that the plastic issue requires swifter action. In addition to moving up the 10-year timeline, the National Park Service can implement improvements at parks, like increasing access to refill stations and requiring reusable foodware for on-site dining.

A bill introduced last year by Representative Mike Quigley would ban the sale and distribution of several top items found during the TrashBlitz project, including single-use plastic bottles, straws, and packaging. If passed, the Reducing Waste in National Parks Act is the quickest way to address single-use plastic pollution in national parks.

“I’ve been lucky enough to visit seven national parks during my time in Congress. Each visit emphasizes the importance of protecting these national treasures from all threats,” said Congressman Quigley. “These visits have also taught me that plastic pollution in our parks causes serious damage to many fragile ecosystems. We must pass the Reducing Waste in National Parks Act to ensure the health and beauty of our national parks for generations to come.”

The full report from Plastic-Free Parks TrashBlitz can be found here.

Nonprofit and brand partners supporting Plastic-Free Parks TrashBlitz include 5 Gyres, Azulita Project, Ban SUP Refill, Beyond Plastics Seattle, Break Free From Plastic, ChicoBag Company, Community Environmental Council, Gnarwhal Coffee Co., Inland Ocean Coalition, Klean Kanteen, MOM’s Organic Market, Natracare, Oceana, Oceanic Global, Oceanic Preservation Society, Plaine Products, Plastic Free Future, Plastic Free July, Plastic Pollution Coalition, Port Arthur Community Action Network (PACAN), prAna, Preserve, ProGrade Digital, Resilient Palisades, Sarama Inc, Shark Stewards, Story of Stuff Project, Surfrider San Francisco, Sway, The Bay Foundation, The Last Plastic Straw, Weeks Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, and Zero Waste Washington.

Quotes from Partners:

“Every piece of trash documented by volunteers is incredibly valuable in helping us understand the plastic pollution trends unique to national parks and federal lands. As a result of the nationwide Plastic-Free Parks TrashBlitz, we have solid data that shows single-use plastic items make up the majority of trash escaping the waste stream and ultimately harming the health of our people, wildlife, and waterways in our most cherished landscapes. We must take immediate action to reduce plastic pollution at its source – by eliminating the sale, distribution, and usage of all single-use disposable plastics and investing in reuse infrastructure and sustainable packaging choices.”
Alison Waliszewski, Policy Director, 5 Gyres Institute

“The recent TrashBlitz report makes the case for speeding up the timeline for which the Department of the Interior has already agreed to stop the sale and distribution of single-use plastic items in our national parks and on federal land. Solutions to plastic pollution exist. Allowing this crisis to continue counters critical efforts to protect our planet. It also disrespects Earth’s original stewards, Indigenous peoples, from which the land used to establish national parks was violently and unjustly stolen. The DOI can and must do better by implementing zero-waste systems and solutions in our national parks and on federal land as soon as possible.”
Jackie Nuñez, Advocacy & Engagement Manager, Plastic Pollution Coalition, and Founder, The Last Plastic Straw

“While the Department of the Interior’s plans to phase out plastic in our national parks has set a clear direction of travel, the results of the TrashBlitz study press home that we must accelerate the timetable. The department needs to work aggressively with park concessionaires to ensure we’re shifting away from the sale of single-use plastics in parks. If we are to tackle the plastics crisis — our national parks must lead the way for how we can model a zero-waste future.”
Sam Pearse, Lead Campaigner, The Story of Stuff Project

“This timely TrashBlitz citizen science audit of National Parks and federal lands demonstrates why it is critical to stop selling and distributing single-use plastics in these treasured and shared places. Alternatives are well-identified and available to make this shift today, we don’t have to wait 10 years. A community across the nation of organizations, solution-providers and advocates are ready to support the DOI in this meaningful effort, which will inspire other institutions and agencies to follow suit. #SolutionsExist”
Cassia Patel, Director of Programs, Oceanic Global

“Citizen science has spoken: Plastic pollution is a problem in our national parks, and single-use plastic tops the charts of waste collected. Our parks and wildlife can’t wait 10 years to reverse this pollution crisis — the Department of the Interior must phase out single-use plastics quickly so it can uphold its commitment to protect these special areas.”
Christy Leavitt, Campaign Director, Oceana

“Our National Parks and beaches are becoming overwhelmed by plastic harmful to wildlife and human health, but the power of our community and data provided by Plastic-Free Parks TrashBlitz will help us turn the tide on toxic trash.”
David McGuire, Founder & Director, Shark Stewards

“Mountains of plastic bottles and single-use plastic burden wildlife, create greenhouse gases, pollute our waters, and cost taxpayers to haul away. As crowds return to record levels following the pandemic, a tsunami of plastic waste will again swamp our parks. The Biden administration has pledged to address this issue over the next ten years. Yet national parks can start going plastic-free right now.”
Colleen Teubner, Litigation and Policy Attorney, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER)

About TrashBlitz

TrashBlitz is a data collection platform and community-focused research project created by The 5 Gyres Institute. The community-based project is designed to engage local stakeholders in measuring plastic pollution and other trash across various cities – from shorelines to riverbeds to urban neighborhoods – and utilizing data to generate relevant action plans. TrashBlitz provides robust research protocols, a web-based platform that identifies problem products and brands, and a network to bring diverse stakeholders together to co-create solutions to stop plastic pollution at the source.

About The 5 Gyres Institute

The 5 Gyres Institute is a leader in the global movement against plastic pollution with more than 10 years of expertise in scientific research and engagement on plastic pollution issues. Since 2009, the team has completed 19 expeditions, bringing more than 300 citizen scientists, corporate executives, brands, and celebrities to the gyres, lakes, and rivers to conduct first-hand research on plastic pollution. Through this research, 5 Gyres engages diverse stakeholders in understanding the science to drive impact as well as conduct community outreach and citizen science to implement data-driven solutions. With over 1,400 Ambassadors in 66 countries, 5 Gyres supports and is supported by community members with information, tools and connections to help drive local change to fight this global crisis.

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