Meet the researcher!

        My name is Blake R. Rupe and I am a Master of Arts candidate at the University of Iowa.  Here I am at the beginning of this research study standing on the shore of study site number 1.  I study international marine conservation and my main focus is on marine debris and garbage along the coastal zone of Mexico's Gulf coast.  I completed this research study in Heroica Veracruz from May to July, 2013, in an effort to truly understand the garbage presence situation along the coasts of this incredible city.  I was drawn to study Veracruz because near the shores of the city is one of the most beautiful collections of coral reefs that I have ever seen.  These reefs are protected by the government, but this does not include preventing these ecosystems from an influx of floating garbage and debris, especially plastics. As you will see in the pictures below, garbage in the coastal zone of this city is at extreme levels.   In the weeks I was there, I collected over 1,800 pounds of garbage.  I was able to include the data from this research study in my Master's thesis, which analyzed the policies Mexico has adopted internationally and nationally that is supposed to keep coastal zones clean and prevent hazards from important, biodiverse ecosystems like the coral reefs of Veracruz. With this research, I was able to show that the policies Mexico has enacted nationally and internationally have in fact not trickled down to the local level, meaning that the coastal zones are not adequately protected by legislation alone.  Instead, it will take the cooperation and initiative of local stakeholders that rely on clean, healthy oceans to promote a reduction in garbage and marine debris in an effort to maintain these important ecosystems for future generations.  To read the full study or the policy analysis thesis, check out my LinkedIn page here: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/blake-rupe/65/681/596 or email me at blake.rupe@gmail.com.

What is the importance of studying garbage presence in marine environments? These pictures might give you some clues.

Garbage floating in a mass of organic marine materials.  Notice the pipe on the right.

Floating for now, but doomed to sink and become suspended in the water column. 

The only two garbage receptacles on the 1.06 miles of shore in my study area.

Residents and visitors alike often asked to help in the collection and analysis of this project, commonly commenting on how much they wished the beaches were cleaner.  I enjoyed teaching them how to properly quantify and classify each collected item! 

If these items remained, they would indubitably be swept into the ocean at high tide.

Recycling receptacles existed, as seen here.  Yet, they were few and far in-between, not to mention not placed in the most highly trafficked areas.  A simple foot-traffic study could be conducted and presented to the city of Veracruz to request placing these receptacles in more effective locations.

Collection site number 3, one of the most difficult sites.  The rocks were incredibly porous, allowing garbage to fall in between cracks.  It became difficult to tell what was garbage in certain areas where construction materials such as tile flooring were disposed of and weathered, appearing like surrounding rocks. 

How many quarts of oil can you spot?

If you are enjoying a beer with your feet in the water, remember to recycle your containers!

How many plastic items can you spot?

Location of collection site number 3, a rocky and sandy shore combination.  This site was interesting, as I expected the quantity to be fairly low.  This was not the case. 

The bottom of a glass beer bottle that is being sunken into the sand near shore.  The entire beer bottle is submerged, yet it was completely intact.  There have been no studies done in Mexico on the amount of garbage buried in sand to date.  The research is much needed, as there is no way to know how organisms in this environment are reacting to this influx of materials. 

How much garbage can you see present on the beach during this beach day?

Plastic bags and plastic materials suspended in the very shallow water column.

Plastic bag suspended in a deeper water column. 

A rubber tire caught between two rocks approximately six feet from the low tide line.  Notice the condition of the rubber. It is very warn and looks as it has been decomposing.  How long do you think it has been stuck between these two rocks? 

I like to think of this picture as the ocean regurgitating the debris and garbage in it, returning it to humans. Waves threw this garbage pile out of the ocean and back onto the boardwalk. 

One of the garbage cans.

This beachgoer enjoyed wine and spirits during their visit. 

A lone wine bottle, perhaps left behind by tweens playing a game of "Spin the Bottle" before their parents picked them up.