WATCH: Local activists release documentary on beach pollution Watch the full documentary here The Great Gulf Nurdle Expedition is a documentary released by The Mission-Aransas National Estuarine Research Reserve. and last updated 2021-04-23 13:37:53-04 CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas â The Mission-Aransas National Estuarine Research Reserve has released a documentary about beach pollution, focusing on the environmental impact of microplastics or "Nurdles" along the Texas Coast. The documentary, The Great Gulf Nurdle Expedition, follows lifelong friends and environmental activists Jace Tunnell and Sam Sugarek as they trek along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico in search of Nurdles. According to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), microplastics, or nurdles, are fragments of plastic less than 5 millimeters in length. While nurdles are used in manufacturing most plastic products like plastic bags and even car parts,