A team of elementary school students from Yilan is set to sail around Taiwan with a group of teachers and scientists to study and clean up the sea.
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00:00For these kids from Yilan's Yueming Elementary School,
00:03an epic voyage is just over a week away.
00:05With their teachers and a team of five scientists,
00:07they're set to sail all the way around Taiwan in two sailboats,
00:10stopping at ports and offshore islands along the way.
00:13The journey will take them 28 days
00:15and see them travel 2,000 kilometers.
00:18There are some pre-departure jitters.
00:30I'm curious and nervous at the same time.
00:35But this is more than just an adventure.
00:37The scientists on board will lead the students
00:39in taking all sorts of measurements in the sea,
00:41from temperature and depth to salinity levels.
00:44They'll also be monitoring and hauling up marine garbage,
00:47observing microplastics on the ocean surface,
00:49and surveying the pH and oxygen levels of seawater.
00:53They'll be carrying $2,500,000 worth of scientific equipment
00:57on the boat and sailing with the kids.
01:01In the process, they'll be teaching the kids
01:04how to observe ocean currents, waves,
01:06the water quality of seawater,
01:08and the characteristics of seawater.
01:10And this won't just be a learning experience for the young sailors.
01:14The plan is to visit 36 schools along the way
01:17and invite 500 kids and teachers aboard
01:19to help clear the waters around Taiwan of trash.
01:22On July 5th, the expedition begins.
01:25Klein Wong and John Van Triest for Taiwan Plus.