Chloe Zhang
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP) is the largest accumulation of plastic in the open ocean. It is located in the North Pacific Ocean, between Hawaii and California, and is bounded by the North Pacific Gyre. The GPGP covers an estimated surface area of 1.6 million square kilometers, twice the size of Texas or three times the size of France. It is composed of microplastics and larger objects, with the former dominating the area by count and the latter contributing more to the overall mass of the patch. The gyre's rotational pattern draws in waste material from across the North Pacific, and the calm center of the gyre traps the debris. While the exact amount of debris in the GPGP is unknown, it is believed to be rapidly accumulating, with an estimated 10-fold increase each decade since 1945.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name | Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP), Pacific Trash Vortex, North Pacific Garbage Patch |
| Location | North Pacific Ocean, between Hawaii and California |
| Size | 1.6 million square kilometres (620,000 square miles) |
| Plastic Mass | 45,000–129,000 metric tons (50,000-1 |
| Plastic Concentration | 4 particles per cubic metre (3.1 per cubic yard) |
| Plastic Type | Microplastics dominate, with larger objects making up 92% of the mass |
| Age of Plastics | Some plastic is over 50 years old |
| Plastic Examples | Plastic lighters, toothbrushes, water bottles, pens, baby bottles, cell phones, plastic bags, nurdles |
| Plastic Origin | 86% of plastics are from fishing activity; 80% of plastic in the ocean comes from land-based sources, and 20% from boats and other marine sources |
| Gyre Type | North Pacific Subtropical Gyre, formed by four currents: California, North Equatorial, Kuroshio, and North Pacific |
| Gyre Size | 20 million square kilometres (7.7 million square miles) |
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What You'll Learn
- The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is the largest accumulation of plastic in the open ocean
- It covers an estimated surface area of 1.6 million square kilometres
- The GPGP is split into two main areas: the Western Garbage Patch and the Eastern Garbage Patch
- The GPGP is a gyre of marine debris particles in the central North Pacific Ocean
- The gyre contains approximately six pounds of plastic for every pound of plankton
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is the largest accumulation of plastic in the open 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, covering an estimated surface area of 1.6 million square kilometers—twice the size of Texas or three times the size of France.
The GPGP is located between California and Hawaii and is surrounded by the North Pacific Gyre, a network of rotating ocean currents that draw in plastic and other debris. The gyre's rotational pattern pulls in waste material from across the North Pacific, including coastal waters off North America and Japan. As the material is captured in the currents, wind-driven surface currents gradually move the debris towards the center, trapping it.
The GPGP is not a giant island of floating garbage, as is commonly perceived. Instead, it consists primarily of suspended "fingernail-sized or smaller," often microscopic, particles in the upper water column known as microplastics. These microplastics make up over 90% of the plastic items in the GPGP. While microplastics dominate the area by count, 92% of the mass of the patch consists of larger objects. Some of the plastic is over 50 years old, including items such as plastic lighters, toothbrushes, water bottles, pens, baby bottles, cell phones, plastic bags, and "nurdles" (small plastic pellets used to make larger items).
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch formed gradually due to ocean or marine pollution gathered by ocean currents. It is believed to have increased "10-fold each decade" since 1945, with plastic from land-based sources accounting for 80% of the ocean plastic, and the remaining 20% coming from boats and other marine sources. A 2018 study found that synthetic fishing nets made up nearly half the mass of the GPGP, largely due to ocean current dynamics and increased fishing activity in the Pacific Ocean.
The Ocean Cleanup, an organization dedicated to tackling marine waste, has conducted extensive research and cleanup efforts in the GPGP. They have estimated that as much as 86% of the plastics in the GPGP are from fishing activity. However, critics argue that targeting the GPGP may not be the best way to address the ocean's plastic problem, as it is challenging to clean and difficult to secure funding for.
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It covers an estimated surface area of 1.6 million square kilometres
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP), 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 covers an estimated surface area of 1.6 million square kilometres (or 620,000 square miles), an area twice the size of Texas or three times the size of France. This estimate was formulated through 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 GPGP is the largest accumulation of ocean plastic in the world and is located between Hawaii and California. It is bounded by the North Pacific Gyre, a network of rotating ocean currents that draw in plastic and other debris. The gyre's rotational pattern draws waste material from across the North Pacific, incorporating coastal waters off North America and Japan. As the material is captured in the currents, wind-driven surface currents gradually move the debris toward the centre, where it becomes trapped.
The GPGP is not a solid mass of floating garbage but is made up of mostly microscopic particles, primarily suspended in the upper water column. These microplastics dominate the area by count, but larger objects make up 92% of the patch's mass. Some of the plastic is over 50 years old and includes items such as plastic lighters, toothbrushes, water bottles, pens, baby bottles, cell phones, plastic bags, and nurdles. Over 75% of plastics in the GPGP are attributable to offshore fishing activities, with discarded fishing gear making up a significant proportion.
The GPGP is challenging to clean up due to its vast size and the presence of microplastics, which are difficult to remove from the ocean. While some argue that cleaning up the GPGP is not the best solution to the ocean's plastic problem, organisations like The Ocean Cleanup use large net-based systems to remove larger plastic items from the patch.
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The GPGP is split into two main areas: the Western Garbage Patch and the Eastern Garbage Patch
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP), 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. The GPGP is bounded by the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre, which is formed by four currents—the California Current, the North Equatorial Current, the Kuroshio Current, and the North Pacific Current—rotating clockwise around an area of 20 million square kilometers.
The GPGP covers an estimated surface area of 1.6 million square kilometers, twice the size of Texas or three times the size of France. It is composed of 45,000–129,000 metric tons of plastic and floating trash, with 90% of the plastic consisting of microplastics. These microplastics are often microscopic and suspended in the upper water column, making the patch difficult to detect through satellite imagery or even by casual boaters or divers in the area.
The North Pacific Gyre's rotational pattern draws in waste from across the North Pacific, including coastal waters off North America and Japan. As debris is captured in the currents, wind-driven surface currents gradually move it toward the center, trapping it. The GPGP is believed to be rapidly accumulating, with an estimated increase of "10-fold each decade" since 1945.
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The 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 ocean plastic in the world, located between Hawaii and California. The GPGP is formed 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 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 GPGP is split into two main areas: the Western Garbage Patch near Japan and the Eastern Garbage Patch between California and Hawaii. The Eastern Garbage Patch was discovered by Charles J. Moore in 1997 when he came upon an enormous stretch of floating debris while sailing from Hawai'i to California after competing in a yachting race. 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 Great Pacific Garbage Patch is an area of concentrated (and mostly plastic) marine debris. While microplastics dominate the area by count, 92% of the mass of the patch consists of larger objects. Some of the plastic is over 50 years old and includes items such as plastic lighters, toothbrushes, water bottles, pens, baby bottles, cell phones, plastic bags, and nurdles. The patch is believed to have increased "10-fold each decade" since 1945. A 2018 study found that synthetic fishing nets made up nearly half the mass of the GPGP, due to increased fishing activity in the Pacific Ocean.
The Ocean Cleanup, an organization dedicated to tackling marine waste, has estimated that as much as 86% of the plastics in the GPGP are from fishing activity. They use large net-based systems to dredge junk from the ocean. However, over 90% of the plastic items in the GPGP are microplastics, less than 5mm in size. These microplastics can be harmful to marine life, as loggerhead sea turtles often mistake plastic bags for jelly, and albatrosses mistake plastic resin pellets for fish eggs, feeding them to their chicks.
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The gyre contains approximately six pounds of plastic for every pound of plankton
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a gyre of marine debris particles, located in the central North Pacific Ocean. It is the largest accumulation of plastic in the open ocean. The gyre's rotational pattern draws in waste material from across the North Pacific, incorporating coastal waters off North America and Japan. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is bounded by the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre, which is formed by four currents: the California Current, the North Equatorial Current, the Kuroshio Current, and the North Pacific Current. These currents rotate clockwise around an area of 20 million square kilometres (7.7 million square miles).
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch covers an estimated surface area of 1.6 million square kilometres, an area twice the size of Texas or three times the size of France. While microplastics dominate the area by count, 92% of the mass of the patch consists of larger objects. Research indicates that the patch is rapidly accumulating, increasing by "10-fold each decade" since 1945. This accumulation is due to the gyre's rotational pattern, which draws in waste material from across the North Pacific.
Efforts are being made to clean up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. The Ocean Cleanup Project, for example, has removed over 100,000 kilograms of plastic from the gyre using their "System 002".
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Frequently asked questions
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP), also known as the Pacific Trash Vortex or North Pacific Garbage Patch, 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 GPGP is the largest accumulation of ocean plastic in the world and is located between Hawaii and California. It is a gyre of marine debris particles in the central North Pacific Ocean.
The GPGP is made up of tiny bits of plastic, called microplastics, which are often microscopic in size. While microplastics dominate the area by count, 92% of the mass of the patch consists of larger objects, such as fishing gear and shoes.
The GPGP forms as a result of ocean or marine pollution gathered by ocean currents. The North Pacific Gyre's rotational pattern draws in waste material from across the North Pacific, incorporating coastal waters off North America and Japan.
The GPGP has a significant impact on marine life in the gyre. For example, loggerhead sea turtles often mistake plastic bags for jellies, their favorite food. Albatrosses mistake plastic resin pellets for fish eggs and feed them to their chicks, which die of starvation or ruptured organs. Seals and other marine mammals are also at risk of getting entangled in abandoned plastic fishing nets.
