Maya Ellison
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP), also known as the Pacific Trash Vortex, is a gyre of marine debris particles in the central North Pacific Ocean. It is one of five offshore plastic accumulation zones in the world's oceans and is the largest, covering an estimated surface area of 1.6 million square kilometres. The GPGP is bounded by the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre, a large system of swirling ocean currents that draw in waste material from across the North Pacific, including coastal waters off North America and Japan. The gyre's rotational pattern traps waste material in its stable centre, where it is unlikely to leave until it degrades into smaller microplastics. The patch is believed to have increased 10-fold each decade since 1945, with an estimated 171 trillion pieces of plastic currently in the world's oceans.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name | Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP) |
| Location | North Pacific Ocean, halfway between Hawaii and California |
| Coordinates | 135°W to 155°W and 35°N to 42°N |
| Size | 1.6 million square kilometres (620,000 square miles) |
| Plastic Concentration | 10-100 kg per square kilometre |
| Total Plastic Mass | 45,000-129,000 metric tons |
| Total Plastic Pieces | 1.8 trillion |
| Plastic Pieces <5mm | 92% of total |
| Plastic Pieces >5cm | 6,000 |
| Plastic Pieces per Cubic Metre | 4 |
| Plastic Mass Entering Ocean Annually | 1.15-2.41 million metric tons |
| Plastic Mass Entering Ocean Annually (From China) | 30% |
| Plastic Mass in North Pacific Subtropical Gyre (1999) | 5.1 kg/km2 |
| Plastic Mass in North Pacific Subtropical Gyre (1980s) | 0.5 kg/km2 |
| Plastic Mass in North Pacific Subtropical Gyre (2018) | 335,000 items/km2 |
| Plastic Mass Removed by Ocean Cleanup (2024) | 11.5 million kg |
| Plastic Mass in World's Oceans | 171 trillion pieces |
Explore related products
What You'll Learn
- The Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP) is the largest accumulation of plastic in the ocean
- GPGP is a gyre of marine debris particles in the central North Pacific Ocean
- The patch is believed to have increased 10-fold each decade since 1945
- The gyre contains approximately six pounds of plastic for every pound of plankton
- The patch is bounded by the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre, a network of rotating ocean currents
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP) is the largest accumulation of plastic in the ocean
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP) is a gyre of marine debris particles in the central North Pacific Ocean. It is one of five offshore plastic accumulation zones in the world's oceans, and it is the largest. The GPGP is located halfway between Hawaii and California, from roughly 135°W to 155°W and 35°N to 42°N.
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is not a solid mass of floating garbage. Instead, the ocean within the GPGP is a "soup of microplastics", with larger objects such as fishing gear and shoes scattered throughout. Microplastics are plastic particles that are often microscopic, and they are too small to be seen by the naked eye or even detected by satellite imagery. Despite this, the microplastics are still harmful to marine life in the gyre. Loggerhead sea turtles, for example, mistake plastic bags for their favourite food, jellies, and seals and other marine mammals are at risk of getting entangled in abandoned plastic fishing nets.
The size of the GPGP is indefinite as large items of debris are uncommon, and the patch is constantly changing due to seasonal and interannual variabilities of winds and currents. However, researchers have estimated that the patch covers 1.6 million square kilometres (620,000 square miles) and consists of 45,000–129,000 metric tons of plastic. This estimate was formulated using the most elaborate sampling method ever coordinated, consisting of a fleet of 30 boats, 652 surface nets, and two flights over the patch to gather aerial imagery of the debris.
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch formed gradually as a result of ocean or marine pollution gathered by ocean currents. The North Pacific Gyre, a network of rotating ocean currents, ensnares plastic and other debris that enters its flow, gradually moving them across the ocean. The gyre's rotational pattern draws in waste material from across the North Pacific, incorporating coastal waters off North America and Japan.
Ariana Grande's Transformation: Plastic Surgery or Natural Evolution?
You may want to see also
Explore related products
GPGP is a gyre of marine debris particles in the central North Pacific Ocean
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP) is a gyre of marine debris particles in the central North Pacific Ocean. It is the largest accumulation of plastic in the open ocean and one of five offshore plastic accumulation zones in the world's oceans. The GPGP is located halfway between Hawaii and California, from roughly 135°W to 155°W and 35°N to 42°N.
The patch is a result of ocean or marine pollution gathered by ocean currents. The North Pacific Gyre, a network of rotating ocean currents, ensnares plastic and other debris that enter their flow, gradually moving them across the ocean. The gyre's rotational pattern draws in waste material from across the North Pacific, incorporating coastal waters off North America and Japan. The area in the centre of a gyre tends to be very calm and stable, allowing the circular motion of the gyre to draw in and trap debris.
The GPGP is believed to have increased "10-fold each decade" since 1945. It is estimated to cover an area of approximately 1.6 million square kilometres, with a concentration of 10-100kg per square kilometre. The size of the patch is indefinite, as is the precise distribution of debris, because large items are uncommon. The patch is a widely dispersed area consisting primarily of suspended "fingernail-sized or smaller"—often microscopic—particles in the upper water column known as microplastics. These microplastics can't always be seen by the naked eye and do not show up on satellite imagery. Instead, the ocean within the GPGP takes on a "soup-like" appearance, with larger objects such as fishing gear and shoes interspersed throughout.
The GPGP is split into two main areas: the Western Garbage Patch near Japan and the Eastern Garbage Patch between California and Hawaii. The plastic moves between these two areas of the GPGP, which change in size and location over time, and is unlikely to escape the swirling currents.
Primer Adhesion: Zinsser 123 Sticks to Plastic?
You may want to see also
Explore related products
The patch is believed to have increased 10-fold each decade since 1945
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP) is a gyre of marine debris particles in the central North Pacific Ocean. It is the largest of the five offshore plastic accumulation zones in the world's oceans. The GPGP is believed to have increased tenfold each decade since 1945. This growth is attributed to the gyre's rotational pattern, which draws in waste material from across the North Pacific, including coastal waters off North America and Japan. The circular motion of the gyre traps the debris in its stable centre.
The GPGP is located halfway between Hawaii and California and is estimated to cover an area of approximately 1.6 million square kilometres. The patch is constantly changing due to seasonal and interannual variabilities of winds and currents. The low density of the patch, with only four particles per cubic metre, prevents detection by satellite imagery or casual boaters and divers in the area. Instead, the ocean within the GPGP is described as a "soup of microplastics", with larger objects such as fishing gear and shoes interspersed.
The Ocean Cleanup, a non-profit organisation, estimates that 86% of the plastics in the GPGP come from fishing activity. In 2024, the foundation removed 11.5 million kilograms of garbage from the world's oceans and rivers. They have proposed a $7.5 billion plan to clear the GPGP within a decade. However, not everyone agrees that cleaning up the patch is the best solution. Some believe that preventing plastic from entering the ocean in the first place and collecting pollution as it washes up on islands within the gyre may be more effective.
The impact of the GPGP on marine life is significant. Marine debris can disturb marine food webs in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre by blocking sunlight from reaching plankton and algae. Additionally, loggerhead sea turtles often mistake plastic bags for jelly, their favourite food, and albatrosses feed plastic resin pellets to their chicks, causing them to die of starvation or ruptured organs. Seals and other marine mammals are also at risk of entanglement in abandoned plastic fishing nets, a phenomenon known as "ghost fishing".
Creating Stencil Sheets: DIY Plastic Stencil Sheets Guide
You may want to see also
Explore related products
The gyre contains approximately six pounds of plastic for every pound of plankton
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, also known as the Pacific Trash Vortex or North Pacific Garbage Patch, is a gyre of marine debris particles in the central North Pacific Ocean. It is one of the five offshore plastic accumulation zones in the world's oceans and is the largest of its kind. The gyre's rotational pattern draws in waste material from across the North Pacific, incorporating coastal waters off North America, Japan, and other Pacific Rim countries in Asia, North America, and South America.
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch formed gradually as a result of ocean or marine pollution gathered by ocean currents. The currents collect and trap pollutants, most notably plastics, which has led to the creation of a floating mass of debris destined to remain in the ocean for many years. The patch is believed to have increased "10-fold each decade" since 1945, and it is estimated that 1.15 to 2.41 million metric tons of plastic are entering the ocean each year.
Efforts have been made to address the plastic accumulation in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. The Ocean Cleanup Project, for example, has deployed systems to collect and remove plastic from the gyre. By 2024, they had removed over one million pounds of trash from the patch, equivalent to 0.5% of the total accumulated trash. However, the scale of the problem is immense, and some scientists doubt that complete cleanup is feasible. Instead, they suggest focusing on preventing plastic from entering the ocean in the first place and collecting pollution as it washes up on islands within the gyre.
Truss Plastic Removal: To Remove or Not for Turkey?
You may want to see also
Explore related products
The patch is bounded by the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre, a network of rotating ocean currents
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP) is a gyre of marine debris particles in the central North Pacific Ocean. It is the largest of the five offshore plastic accumulation zones in the world's oceans. The GPGP is located halfway between Hawaii and California and is estimated to cover a surface area of 1.6 million square kilometres, consisting of 45,000–129,000 metric tons of plastic.
The plastic and floating trash that make up the GPGP originate from the Pacific Rim, including countries in Asia, North America, and South America. The patch is believed to have increased "10-fold each decade" since 1945, with plastic outnumbering plankton by a ratio of 6:1. The majority of the plastic in the GPGP is believed to come from fishing activity, with a 2014 study finding that discarded fishing gear accounted for more than 60% of the mass of plastic marine debris.
The GPGP is split into two main areas: the Western Garbage Patch near Japan and the Eastern Garbage Patch between California and Hawaii. The size and location of these areas change over time, and the plastic within them is unlikely to escape the swirling currents of the gyre.
The World Without Plastic: Is It Possible?
You may want to see also
Frequently asked questions
The North Pacific Gyre plastic accumulation, also known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, is estimated to cover an area of 1.6 million square kilometres. It is located halfway between Hawaii and California.
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is the largest accumulation of plastic in the open ocean. It is estimated to contain 80,000 metric tons of plastic, with 1.8 trillion plastic pieces. Over 90% of the plastic items in the patch are microplastics, less than 5mm in size.
The North Pacific Gyre is a large system of swirling ocean currents that draw in waste material from across the North Pacific. These currents ensnare plastic and other debris that enter their flow, gradually moving them across the ocean and trapping them in the centre.
