Thalassophobia - May Be about a Wave of Fear but did the "Genius Prize" sink?

The name cartographers, nautical personnel, politicians and more began to use after 1520 was the result of explorer Ferdinand Magellan sailing through a calm section of water of the ocean.

Meanwhile, its characteristics are hardly passive.  

• Surface area 165,250,000 km 2 (63,800,000 sq mi)
• Average depth 4,280 m (14,040 ft)
• Max. depth 10,911 m (35,797 ft)

Some of the most notable and dramatic weather patterns are a part of the Pacific Ocean.  The warm waters generate the storms named based on their location:

• Hurricane: Eastern Pacific
• Typhoon: Northwestern Pacific
• Cyclone: Southwestern Pacific.

Meanwhile, consistent earthquake and volcanic activity on the edges of the Pacific basin has resulted in the name "Ring of Fire" for this area.  It is approximately 25,000 miles long, and originates where encircling tectonic plates and the Pacific tectonic plate slide against or collide into it

The deepest known spot on the earth is a part of the Pacific Ocean, the Mariana Trench, alongside the Ring of Fire in the Mariana Archipelago east of the Philippines. The depth has been measured at 36,000 feet but future technology should provide a more accurate and deeper calculation. A Presidential proclamation was made 1/9/09 by then President Bush establishing the "Marianas Trench Marine National Monument".  Here is an excerpt from that proclamation:

WHEREAS the submerged volcanic areas of the Mariana Ridge, the coral reef ecosystems of the waters surrounding the islands of Farallon de Pajaros, Maug, and Asuncion in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Mariana Trench contain objects of scientific interest that are situated upon lands owned or controlled by the Government of the United States;

WHEREAS the United States continues to act in accordance with the balance of interests relating to traditional uses of the oceans recognizing freedom Start Printed Page 1558of navigation and overflight and other internationally recognized lawful uses of the sea;

WHEREAS the islands, waters, and airspace of the Mariana Ridge are of particular importance to the national security of the United States;

Ferdinand Magellan, if he was morphed back to life and deposited onto the Pacific Ocean, would be at a loss for an explanation of the formation appropriately named "The Pacific Garbage Patch". There are four additional "garbage patches" across the waters of our planet but the PGP is the largest, predominately made up of tiny pieces of plastic smaller than a grain of rice. Magellan might be more drawn to the "ghost nets", abandoned fishing gear which easily ensnare the permanent residents of the ocean as they swim past the debris.  

Interestingly the "Patch" (not this publication though) has made its way into the Congressional Record as recently as 2019 on 11/19- America Recycles Day with Senator Carper of DE saying:

"Some of you have also heard of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, which now covers a surface area on the Earth 250 times larger than my whole State of Delaware and contains a whopping 80,000 tons of trash. Here it is. Can you imagine? Look at all that trash.

It is out in the Pacific Ocean, and I would like to say that it is getting smaller. I don't think it is, but it needs to, and we need to be a part of that in making some progress.

As we celebrate America Recycles Day tomorrow, I just want to encourage you to join Senator Boozman and join our colleagues and their constituents and join us in looking for new ways to dramatically increase recycling in our country and around the world. We need solutions that are a win-win for our economy on the one hand and for our environment on the other hand. I believe recycling is one of those win-win solutions.

By the way, you may be surprised to learn that recycling and manufacturing industries are beneficial for our economy, accounting for more than 750,000 jobs and approximately $6.7 billion in tax revenues.

That reminds me of one of my favorite sayings:

``It is possible to do good and to do well at the same time.''

It is possible to clean up our planet and make the planet safer and create jobs and economic opportunities."

A "Save Our Seas" Act was passed in  2018 and 2020 in the house, which in 2020 passed the Senate to become S1982. This among things established the "Genius Prize"

Subtitle C--Genius Prize for Save Our Seas Innovations

(Sec. 122) This section establishes the Genius Prize for Save Our Seas Innovations. The prize competition must (1) encourage technological innovation with the potential to reduce plastic waste, associated pollution, and potential pollution; and (2) award at least one prize every two years for projects that advance human understanding and innovation in removing and preventing plastic waste.

(Sec. 123) The Department of Commerce may enter into an agreement with the Marine Debris Foundation for the foundation to administer the prize competition. If the foundation administers the prize competition, it may request and accept federal and nonfederal funds for a cash prize or administration of the competition.

(Sec. 127) This section terminates the prize competition after the completion of five competition cycles.

Note:  The bill expands on the first SOS, which Trump signed into law in 2018, reauthorizing the Marine Debris Act of 2006 through 2022.  New Bill in U.S. Creates Prize for Save Our Seas Innovations - The Oxygen Project

No further details of the prize being awarded or future discussion is found at the Marine Debris Foundation website, their newsletters, or the Department of Commerce. 

The U.S. Department of the Interior has a separate "genius prize" consisting of five prizes for conservation innovations, including one to help control the spread of invasive species. Interior establishes Theodore Roosevelt Genius Prizes - The Wildlife Society

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