A lot of people have asked me about Project Niu, and just what is it? Is it an excuse to go the beach? To play with really cool toys? To make kids do science homework?

Well, the answer is longer than you might think. But it is also a really incredible, and extremely interesting project.

The purpose of Project Niu is to demonstrate just how connected everyone and everything on our planet is.  From the oceans to the mountains, from the rain that falls to the streams that carry the water back to the ocean, everything around us is connected.  This concept is not a new one, and was perhaps even better understood by the native Hawaiians who have been living here for 1000 years.  In their culture, the ahupua'a were zones of territory ruled over by chiefs, or ali'i. The ahupua'a are almost mirror images of what scientists now refer to as watersheds (ahupua'a consisted of the line of sight from the mountain to the ocean, sort of like giant pizza slices or wedges of land).

Watersheds follow very similar geography and consist of the entire basin which has a common drainage pattern (think of a series of bathtubs lined up next to each other as you spray them all with water from a hose. Each tub would collect its own water supply and would represent an individual watershed.)

The Niu itself is simulating a piece of trash. This could be any trash that floats - plastic bags, soda bottles, etc. No matter where trash enters the watershed - at the beginning in a stream, in the middle through a storm drain, or at the end on the beach itself - its destination is eventually the same: the open sea. But where does it go when it gets there? No one can know for sure, but by following the paths of the Nius we can get some ideas about how currents around our islands affect the floating debris at sea, and where they take it.

Along the way we will learn about the watershed and how it is susceptible to pollution; we will learn about the ocean and how things like wind and ocean currents form and shape life on our planet; and we will learn about ways we can help protect our environment, to minimize the trash that does make it into the ocean.  Did you know there is a floating soup of trash the size of Texas just a few hundred miles north of Hawaii? Its a convergence zone, which means all the trash in the Pacific Ocean eventually finds its way there, so it just keeps growing. Its so big, so widespread, and so isolated, there is not much hope of cleaning it up. But with your help, we can reduce the amount of trash that is being added to it. Which is a good start!

Lastly, we hope the Niu will be about different things for different people. You can get out of tProjectNiu whatever you put into it, and asking questions here is a great start! Scientists at NOAA will be using the Niu data (and the technology we use) to monitor ocean conditions and current patterns. Those of you interested in marine biology might get to see some pictures of marine animals in their natural habitat. And folks interested in protecting the environment can use the site - and our resources - to spread awareness and start making a difference. So really, the question is, "What is the purpose of the Niu to you?"