The Great Pacific Garbage Patch

SLIDE 1. There are five major ocean gyres.
Gyres form when cold currents from the poles

and warm currents from the equator meet. The intersection of the two forms a vortex-like spiral,
pulling all surrounding trash into its core.
Out of them all, the largest is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and it’s located in the North
Pacific Ocean, halfway between Hawaii and California.
SLIDE 2. The GPGP covers an estimated surface area of 1.6 million square kilometers, an
area twice the size of Texas or three times the size of France. The mass of the plastic was
estimated to be approximately 80,000 tonnes.
Plastic and synthetic debris in the oceans have a profoundly negative effect on the lives of
marine animals, plants, birds, and ultimately humans. Once plastics enter the gyre, they are
unlikely to leave the area until they degrade into smaller microplastics under the effects of sun,
waves and marine life. As this form of pollution endangers the quality of ocean water, it likewise
reduces the quantity of water suitable for life. The Patch is characterized by exceptionally high
concentrations of pelagic plastics, chemical sludge and other debris.
The gyre is like a liquid desert. On the surface, it appears almost lifeless. Upon closer
inspection, several kinds of animals call it home. Tiny creatures in the gyre hitch rides on other
animals or floating debris. Scientists call these creatures the rafting community. Small crabs hide
in the leathery folds between a sea turtle’s tail and shell. Barnacles drift on a feather or a dead
bird. Fish lay eggs on a floating log.
The plastic in the gyre—several tons of it— also floats near the surface. Wind, tides, and
smaller ocean currents carry debris from shore. Many people picture the Garbage Patch as an
enormous floating island. The reality is different. It doesn’t look like a mass of garbage from the
air. It’s hardly visible from the deck of a ship. Most plastics have broken down into pieces no
bigger than a kernel of unpopped popcorn.
Plastic affects marine life by way of ingestion, entanglement, smothering, and by aiding in
the introduction of invasive species.
Due to its size and color, animals confuse the plastic for food, causing malnutrition; it
poses entanglement risks and threatens their overall behavior, health and existence. Over 250
species have been identified as affected by ingestion of and entanglement in plastic materials.
These species include: turtles, penguins, albatross, gulls, coastal birds other than seabirds,
whales, dolphins, seals, sea lions, manatees, sea otters, fish and crustaceans.
Entanglement occurs when marine animals are ensnared in netting, ropes, and abandoned
monofilament lines. Smothering is another concern, as floating and settled plastic can edge out
plankton and the species that feed on it.
Finally, marine plastic debris allows for the introduction of alien species that may prove to
be invasive. Although floating debris of any kind may already provide for the introduction of
invasive species.
Once plastic enters the marine food web, there is a possibility that it will contaminate the
human food chain as well. Efforts to clean and eradicate ocean plastic have also caused
significant financial burdens.
1
SLIDE 3. In April 2008, Richard Sundance Owen, a building contractor and scuba dive
instructor, formed the Environmental Cleanup Coalition (ECC) to address the issue of North
Pacific pollution. ECC collaborates with other groups to identify methods to safely remove
plastic and persistent organic pollutants from the oceans.
The JUNK raft project was a trans-Pacific sailing voyage from June to August 2008 made
to highlight the plastic in the patch, organized by the Algalita Marine Research Foundation.
The SEAPLEX expedition, a group of researchers from Scripps Institution of
Oceanography, spent 19 days on the ocean in August, 2009 researching the patch. Their primary
goal was to describe the abundance and distribution of plastic in the gyre in the most rigorous
study to date. Researchers were also looking at the impact of plastic on mesopelagic fish, such as
lanternfish.
The 2012 Algalita/5 Gyres Asia Pacific Expedition, though plagued by severe weather on
Leg 2, met the goals and objectives it set out to achieve. Marcus Eriksen led the expedition,
collecting samples for the 5 Gyres Institute, Algalita Marine Research Foundation and several
other colleagues, including NOAA, SCRIPPS, IPRC and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute.
In 2015, realizing that previous methods of analyzing the plastic in the patch needed
improvement, The Ocean Cleanup designed a new research tool, called the multi-level-trawl,
which allowed measurements of 11 water layers simultaneously going as far down as 5 meters
below surface level. This trawl was then used in the Vertical Distribution Research. 30 vessels
and 652 surface nets, in parallel, crossed the GPGP as part of the Mega Expedition.
The Ocean Conservancy works to keep the ocean healthy, so we stay healthy. Every year,
this organization sponsors a worldwide beach cleanup day (below). In 2012, nearly 562,000
volunteers picked up trash along 28,516 km of coastline.
2
Bibliography
Kostigen, T. M., & Magazine, F. D. (July 10, 2008). The world’s largest dump: the great pacific garbage
patch. Discover Magazine. Preluat de pe http://discovermagazine. com/2008/jul/10
theworldslargestdump
Lebreton, L., & Sainte-Rose, B. (2018). Evidence that the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is rapidly
accumulating plastic. Scientific reports, vol. 8(1), 4666, p. 1-15.
Newman, P., & Crawley, A. (2014). Plastic Ahoy: Investigating the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
Minneapolis: Millbrook Press, p. 48.
Sesini, M. (2011). The garbage patch in the oceans: the problem and possible solutions. New York:
Columbia University, p. 1-23.
Sigler, M. (2014). The effects of plastic pollution on aquatic wildlife: current situations and future
solutions. Water, Air and Soil Pollution, vol. 225(11), article 2184, p. 1-9.

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

SLIDE 1. There are five major ocean gyres.

Gyres form when cold currents from the poles

You might also like