.mw-parser-output .templatequote{overflow:hidden;margin:1em 0;padding:0 40px}.mw-parser-output .templatequote .templatequotecite{line-height:1.5em;text-align:left;padding-left:1.6em;margin-top:0}, Net-based surveys are less subjective than direct observations but are limited regarding the area that can be sampled (net apertures 1–2 m and ships typically have to slow down to deploy nets, requiring dedicated ship's time). For example, plastic entering the ocean in Korea is moved eastward by the Subarctic Current (in Subarctic Water) and the Kuroshio (in Transitional Water, Kawai 1972; Favorite et al. The Great Pacific garbage patch, also described as the Pacific trash vortex is a garbage patch, a gyre of marine debris particles, in the central North Pacific Ocean cause. Omissions? Scientists also estimate that 20 percent of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch’s volume of garbage is from the tsunami in Japan in 2011. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is the world's biggest area of marine debris. [7][8] This growing patch contributes to other environment damage to marine ecosystems and species. There are other garbage patches in just about all the oceans but the one in the pacific is the biggest. About 80 percent of the plastic trash that makes up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch originated from land-based activities occurring in North America and Asia. A gyre is a large area with rotating ocean currents. The extent of the patch has been compared to the U.S. state of Texas or Alaska or even to the country of Afghanistan. Causes of The Great Pacific Garbage Patch The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is an area in the North Pacific Ocean, that are roughly between San Francisco and Hawaii, where currents converge and collect debris, mainly various types of plastics. ... A crew will now perform new tests and collect additional data to explore the root cause … [54], A 2017 study concluded that of the 9.1 billion tons of plastic produced since 1950, close to 7 billion tons are no longer in use. Extrapolating from findings in the Sea of Japan, the researchers hypothesized that similar conditions would occur in other parts of the Pacific where prevailing currents were favorable to the creation of relatively stable waters. The Great Pacific garbage patch formed gradually as a result of ocean or marine pollution gathered by ocean currents. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch stretches from the West Coast of North America to Japan. "[45], In September 2019, when research revealed that much ocean plastic pollution comes from Chinese cargo ships,[46] an Ocean Cleanup spokesperson said: "Everyone talks about saving the oceans by stopping using plastic bags, straws and single-use packaging. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP) is a gigantic collection of marine debris and waste found in the middle of the North Pacific Ocean. About 1.8 million to 3.6 million metric tons inhabit the patch. [2] The gyre is divided into two areas, the "Eastern Garbage Patch" between Hawaii and California, and the "Western Garbage Patch" extending eastward from Japan to the Hawaiian Islands. The GPGP is a huge swirling mass of plastic in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, just above the Hawaiian . [75] Fish and whales may also mistake the plastic as a food source. Further, although the size of the patch is determined by a higher-than-normal degree of concentration of pelagic debris, there is no standard for determining the boundary between "normal" and "elevated" levels of pollutants to provide a firm estimate of the affected area. Twenty years after the discovery of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, this was the first time a system was deployed to start to clean it up. The term “garbage patch” is a deceptive label for areas of ocean water that is impacted by man-made litter and debris accumulating in gyers, which are spherical form of currents in an ocean basin. "After entering the ocean, however, neuston plastic is redistributed by currents and winds. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP) is the largest of the five offshore plastic accumulation zones in the world’s oceans. One hundred and eighteen net tows were conducted and nearly 70,000 pieces of plastic were counted. The findings from the two expeditions, found that the patch covers 1.6 million square kilometers with a concentration of 10–100 kg per square kilometer. In a 2001 study, researchers[65] found concentrations of plastic particles at 334,721 pieces per km2 with a mean mass of 5.1 kg (11.3 lbs) per km2, in the neuston. The other is the Eastern Garbage Patch, between Hawaii and California. a series of large waves . Another horrifying fact about the Great Pacific … Large ships carrying rubbish and waste are deliberately dumping rubbish overboard because they have no other way to dump it. A 2006 series of articles in the Los Angeles Times about the garbage patch won a Pulitzer Prize and raised general awareness of the problem. The gyre is a circular ocean current that draws in debris, which eventually becomes trapped in the gyre’s centre. 5). Calling his project The Ocean Cleanup, he proposed to use surface currents to let debris drift to collection platforms. 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. [27], The 2012 Algalita/5 Gyres Asia Pacific Expedition began in the Marshall Islands on 1 May, investigated the patch, collecting samples for the 5 Gyres Institute, Algalita Marine Research Foundation, and several other institutions, including NOAA, Scripps, IPRC and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. all of Texas. Scientists also estimate that 20 percent of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch’s volume of garbage is from the tsunami in Japan in 2011. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is thought to be mostly made up by thrown-away fishing nets — with fishing nets accounting for half the garbage. [20], in July & Aug 2012 Ocean Voyages Institute conducted a voyage from San Francisco to the Eastern limits of the North Pacific Gyre north, (ultimately ending in Richmond British Columbia) and then made a return voyage which also visited the Gyre. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch — a massive accumulation of ocean plastic located halfway between California and Hawaii – is a monument to corporate greed and the throwaway culture it has created. It is true, a massive floating sea of garbage, primarily plastic, that is twice the size of Texas. The swirling of the ocean currents in the North Pacific is the primary reason … [57][59][60] 2009 data collected from Pacific albatross populations suggest the presence of two distinct debris zones. suction that comes from the ocean floor. Floating debris typically is sampled with a neuston or manta trawl net lined with 0.33 mm mesh. [32] This initial trial run of the Ocean Cleanup Project started towing its "Ocean Cleanup System 001" from San Francisco to a trial site some 240 nautical miles (260 miles) away. Some organisms thrive off discarded plastic, forming a new type of ecosystem called a "plastisphere". [21][22], At TEDxDelft2012,[23][24] Boyan Slat unveiled a concept for removing large amounts of marine debris from oceanic gyres. In 2015 and 2016 the Dutch-based organization Ocean Cleanup found that the density of the debris in the garbage patch was much greater than expected and that the plastics absorbed pollutants, making them poisonous to marine life. The Ocean Cleanup System 001 during testing in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, October 2018. The collection of plastic and floating trash originates from the Pacific Rim, including countries in Asia, North America, and South America. The dimensions and depth of the patch are continuously changing. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is not, as popularly portrayed, a solid mass of floating waste somewhere in the middle of the ocean. [55] The authors estimate that 9% was recycled, 12% was incinerated, and the remaining 5.5 billion tons remains in the oceans and land. It is located roughly from 135°W to 155°W and 35°N to 42°N. ", "Five Asian Countries Dump More Plastic into Oceans Than Anyone Else Combined: How You Can Help", "World's Oceans Clogged by Millions of Tons of Plastic Trash", "500,000 Volunteers Take Part in Earth Day 2019 Cleanup", "Earth Day Network Launches Great Global Clean Up", "Cleanup Day Is Saturday Around the World: Here's How to Help", "Rapid increase in Asian bottles in the South Atlantic Ocean indicates major debris inputs from ships", "Ocean plastic waste probably comes from ships, report says", "Plastic Pollution in the World's Oceans: More than 5 Trillion Plastic Pieces Weighing over 250,000 Tons Afloat at Sea", "Marine Debris in the North Pacific: A Summary of Existing Information and Identification of Data Gaps", "The Great Pacific Garbage Patch Isn't What You Think it Is", "Plastic pollution threatens to smother our planet", "Monitoring the abundance of plastic debris in the marine environment", "OSU: Reports of giant ocean 'garbage patch' are exaggerated", OSU: Reports of giant ocean 'garbage patch' are exaggerated the original, "Oceanic 'garbage patch' not nearly as big as portrayed in media", "Bringing Home the Trash: Do Colony-Based Differences in Foraging Distribution Lead to Increased Plastic Ingestion in Laysan Albatrosses? How the Garbage Patch Accumulated . [40] Efforts to slow land generated debris and consequent marine debris accumulations have been undertaken by the Coastal Conservancy, Earth Day, and World Cleanup Day. The garbage island known also by the Great Pacific Garbage patch is the largest of five patches of visible sea debris in the world. [12], The JUNK Raft Project was a 2008 trans-Pacific sailing voyage made to highlight the plastic in the patch, organized by the Algalita Marine Research Foundation. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is just one of five similar patches. ", "UN Ocean Conference: Plastics Dumped In Oceans Could Outweigh Fish by 2050, Secretary-General Says", "Harbour snow dumping dangerous to environment: biologist", "These 5 Marine Animals Are Dying Because of Our Plastic Trash… Here's How We Can Help", "Cetacean sightings within the Great Pacific Garbage Patch", "Plastic-Filled Albatrosses Are Pollution Canaries in New Doc", "Marine biologists discover rubbish haul in stomach of dead whale in Taiwan", "What's in 90 percent of seabirds' guts? Advertisement. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is caused by the North Pacific Tropical Gyre. What is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch? [9] The Garbage Patch is created by the North Pacific Gyre. Lesson: The Great Pacific Garbage Patch: This lesson plan explores the causes and results of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. 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