The existence of a garbage patch was actually predicted by the national oceanic and atmospheric association in 1988 after years of studying the amount of trash that was being dumped in the ocean. How the garbage patch accumulated about 80 percent of the plastic trash that makes up the great pacific garbage patch originated from landbased activities occurring in north america and asia. The predicted boundaries of the north pacific garbage patch defined as microplastic concentrations 1 kgkm 2 are shown as dashed lines and taken from. A huge, swirling pile of rubbish in the pacific ocean is growing faster than expected and is now three times the size of france, researchers say. Its the worlds largest and deepest ocean, and if you gathered up all of the earths continents, these land masses would fit into the pacific basin with a space the size of africa to spare. The great pacific garbage patch contains even more trash. Although the great pacific garbage patch is the largest and most densely polluted ocean patch in the world, it is by no means the only garbage patch in the world. The great pacific garbage patch also known as the northern garbage patch or eastern garbage patch is only one of two within the pacific ocean and its location shifts throughout the year as the currents change. Causes plastic and more plastic the pacific ocean garbage patch stretches hundreds of miles across the north pacific ocean. The trash is carried and trapped by a system of surface currents called the north pacific subtropical gyre. The great pacific garbage patch, as well as the four other gyres throughout the world, has tainted our food chain. Heartwrenching facts about the great pacific garbage patch. Facts and figures on marine pollution united nations.
A garbage patch is made up of tiny plastic pieces called microplastics that are less than 5 millimeters long. The great pacific garbage patch gpgp is the largest of the five offshore plastic accumulation zones in the worlds oceans. The pacific garbage patch view photos the ssv robert c. These plastic materials trap aquatic life and poison them by physical blockage or as carriers of toxic pollutants. Environmentalists proclaim great pacific garbage patch a. While some areas of the patch have more trash than others, much of the debris is made of microplastics by count. The patch is actually comprised of the western garbage patch, located near japan, and the eastern garbage patch, located between the u. He founded the algalita research institute and returned with a research vessel over subsequent years to study and get international exposure of the north pacific garbage patches. The great pacific garbage patch, also described as the pacific trash vortex, is a gyre of marine debris particles in the northcentral pacific ocean.
The patch is actually comprised of the western garbage patch. Know interesting facts about the great pacific garbage patch. The north pacific garbage patch was discovered by captain charles moore in 1997. Plastic particle content has increased 100fold in the great pacific garbage patch since the 1970s.
Great pacific garbage patch plastic particle content up. The swirling of the ocean currents in the north pacific ocean is the primary reason behind the creation of the great pacific garbage patch. Another factor is the north pacific subtropical convergence zone, north of the hawaiian islands. The exact size, content, and location of the garbage patches are difficult to accurately. About 54 percent of the debris in the great pacific garbage patch comes from landbased activities in north america and asia. This infographic produced by the unep in 2009 shows the recycling rates of oecd countries between 1999 and 2006. Chart great pacific garbage patch floats on statista. Marine debris is litter that ends up in oceans, seas, and other large bodies of water. The garbage patch is not exactly a patch after its discovery in the late 90s, the great pacific garbage patch took on an image in the. It is located halfway between hawaii and california.
Its more like pepper flakes swirling in a soup than something you can skim off the surface. The great pacific garbage patch is located in the north pacific ocean and is a collection of marine debris. The amount of plastic waste in the pacific has increased by 100 in the last 40 years. Youve probably heard of the pacific garbage patch, also called the trash vortex. Garbage patches are large areas of marine debris concentration that are formed by rotating ocean currents called gyres kind of like big whirlpools that suck things in. Because microplastics are smaller than a pencil eraser, they are not. The patch sits within the 9 million square mile north pacific subtropical gyre, an enormous swirling expanse of ocean that represents the convergence of four major currents that draw in trash from as far away as the coasts of the united states and japan. A grand plan to clean the great pacific garbage patch. Great pacific garbage patch great pacific garbage patch truth about the great pacific garbage patch pacific garbage patch great pacific garbage patch10 interesting facts about. In reality, most pieces of plastic in the actual garbage patch are roughly the size of your smallest fingernail, though some can be much. The great pacific garbage patch, also known as the pacific trash vortex, spans waters from the west coast of north america to japan. The great pacific garbage patch lesson teachengineering. A close look at the great pacific garbage patch the.
The great pacific garbage patch is ballooning, 87,000. The great pacific garbage patch is the worlds biggest area of marine debris. Blackfooted albatross and sea turtles are highly affected by the suspended plastic debris. The great pacific garbage patch stretches from the west coast of north america to japan. Myths and the great pacific garbage patch soapboxie. More than half of plastics in the great pacific garbage patch gpgp come from fishing nets, ropes and lines. Lies youve been told about the pacific garbage patch. Seamans recently carried scientists through a portion of the pacific ocean to collect samples of plastic floating on the surface and just.
The accumulation of waste is mainly facilitated by the subtropical gyre that is present in the waters of the north pacific ocean. Great pacific garbage patch is a myth, warn experts, as. The north pacific gyre, known as the great pacific garbage patch, occupies a relatively stationary area that is twice the size of texas. In this episode, dianna parker from the noaa marine debris program explains what a garbage patch is and isnt, what we know and dont know, and what we can do about this oceansized problem. Second garbage patch discovered in the south pacific. This undoubtedly wreaks havoc on the health of the fish, but on humans, as well.
Moore plans to publish a research paper about his findings. Great pacific garbage patch national geographic society. The remaining 20 percent of debris in the great pacific garbage patch comes from boaters, offshore oil rigs, and large cargo ships that dump or lose debris directly into the water. In a classic example of garbageingarbageout, scientists have recently discovered yet another floating trash patch, this time in the south pacific and covering as many as 386,000 square miles, a. Here are some comparisons on how massive the giant pacific garbage patch is. Fish and other marine mammals are ingesting a ton of plastic, most of which contains high levels of very harmful chemicals. The great pacific garbage patch gpgp is an intriguing and publicized environmental problem. An estimated 20 percent of all plastic waste in the oceans comes from marine sources. Environmentalists proclaim great pacific garbage patch a country, design national identity. The patch mainly contains high concentrations of pelagic plastics, chemical sludge and other debris. The great pacific garbage patch has been billed as a floating island of plastic debris, stretching out across an area of ocean the size of. Wind and waves continuously mix this debris, dispersing it over huge surface areas and throughout the top portion of the water column. While great pacific garbage patch is a term often used by the media, it does not paint an accurate picture of the marine debris problem in the north pacific ocean.
Scientists find another pacific garbage patch great. How big the great pacific garbage patch really is youtube. Some 80 percent of the plastics in the garbage patch come from the land. The great pacific garbage patch is in the pacific ocean between hawaii and california. Marine debris concentrates in various regions of the north pacific, not just in one area. First evidence of plastic fallout from the north pacific. This swirling soup of trash up to 10 meters deep and just below the water surface is composed mainly of nondegradable plastics. The great pacific garbage patch in the north is also mostly microplastic, but moore describes the southern garbage patch as not as chunky. Somewhere in the north pacific, theres a giant floating patch of garbage thousands of miles wide. If you picked up each piece of plastic in the great pacific garbage patch.
Its a region of the north pacific ocean where the northern jet stream and the southern trade winds, moving. The pacific garbage patch is the worlds largest, though not its only, area of marine debris concentration. This makes the improvement of waste management systems across the world critical to reducing plastic pollution. The collection of plastic and floating trash originates from the pacific rim, including countries in asia, north america, and south america. It is a gyre a large system of rotating ocean currents of marine debris particles in. Waste material from across the north pacific ocean, including coastal waters off north america and japan, are drawn together. In the north pacific ocean churns an area of marine debris, where the pattern of currents has helped to concentrate debris into what is known as the garbage patch. The great pacific garbage patch is the result of natural and human forces. After sailing through the area he noticed increasing amounts of floating plastic. The other major ocean gyres are the indian ocean gyre, the north atlantic gyre, the south atlantic gyre and the south pacific gyre.
As one of the closest countries to the great pacific garbage patch, the usa produces 730 tonnes of waste per capita, recycling less than a quarter of their total waste making them the 15th least oecd country to recycle waste. Expedition finds south pacific plastic patch bigger than. Explain to students that the great pacific garbage patch is an area that covers an estimated five million square miles of ocean watersan area the size of the united states, mexico, and central america combined. While the pacific ocean holds more than half of the planets free water, it also unfortunately holds a lot of the planets garbage much of it plastic. They make comparisons between areas they know well and the estimated area of the great pacific garbage patch.
The other patch of pollution in the pacific ocean is is the western garbage patch. Plastic content in the north pacific subtropical gyre off the california coast is causing changes to sea creatures like sea skaters, who. The great pacific garbage patch is one of many areas in the ocean where marine debris naturally concentrates because of ocean currents. The great pacific garbage patch explained research the. The great pacific garbage patch by julia mielczarek on prezi. Man made litter finds its way into the ocean, and gyres currents with a set rotation transports the marine litter around our oceans. The great pacific garbage patch exists in the northern pacific ocean, stretching between japan and the united states. The patch is formed over an intermediate area with a lot of plastic concentration in it.
The great pacific garbage patch is a collection of marine debris in the north pacific ocean. Isnt it an irony that the worlds biggest garbage dump is located in the worlds biggest ocean. This debris has accumulated to an enormous size and is considered a serious threat to marine life in the pacific ocean. Garbage that reaches the ocean from the west coast of the united states and from the east coast of japan is carried by currentsincluding the california current, the north equatorial current, the north pacific current, and the kuroshiointo the north pacific subtropical gyre, the clockwise rotation of which draws in and traps solid matter such as plastics. The great pacific garbage patch is the largest accumulation of ocean plastic in the world and is located between hawaii and california. The great pacific garbage patch, which is also known as the pacific trash vortex is a patch of sea debris particles formed near the central north pacific ocean. Great pacific garbage patch now three times the size of. The great pacific garbage patch, or the pacific trash vortex, is an endless stream of garbage debris that can be found between the states of hawaii and. And dont be fooled by those photos on the internet of boats ploughing through bottles, crates, and tyres floating on top of the water thats manila harbour not the great pacific garbage patch. A swirling sea of plastics and debris in the north pacific gyre worlds largest landfill on water matanza. When his team got back to the lab, they found that most of the plastic bits theyd collected were 1 to 3 millimeters 0.