Chloe Zhang
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, also known as the Pacific Trash Vortex, is a collection of marine debris in the North Pacific Ocean. It spans waters from the west coast of North America to Japan and is formed by the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre, a system of swirling ocean currents. The gyre pulls trash towards its centre, trapping it and creating a vortex. The patch is not a single island of trash but a widely dispersed area consisting primarily of microplastics, with larger objects making up 92% of its mass. It covers an estimated 1.6 million square kilometres, about twice the size of Texas or three times the size of France, and contains 80,000 metric tons of plastic.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Size | 1.6 million square kilometres (620,000 square miles) or twice the size of Texas, three times the size of France |
| Plastic weight | 45,000–129,000 metric tons (50,000–142,000 short tons) |
| Plastic pieces | 1.8 trillion |
| Percentage of mass that is microplastic | 92% |
| Percentage of plastic in the ocean that comes from land-based sources | 80% |
| Percentage of plastic in the ocean that comes from boats and other marine sources | 20% |
| Percentage of plastic in the ocean that comes from fishing and agriculture | 75% to 86% |
| Percentage of global plastic waste that is recycled | 9% |
| Percentage of global plastic waste that is mismanaged | 22% |
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What You'll Learn
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is not an island
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP) is a gyre of marine debris particles in the central North Pacific Ocean. It is located from 135°W to 155°W and 35°N to 42°N, spanning waters from the West Coast of North America to Japan. The GPGP is not an island of trash floating on the ocean. Rather, it 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 cannot always be seen by the naked eye and do not form a solid mass. Even satellite imagery doesn't show a giant patch of garbage; instead, the water looks like a cloudy soup intermixed with larger items such as fishing gear and shoes.
The size of the patch is indefinite due to the small size of the debris, but it is estimated to cover 1.6 million square kilometres (620,000 square miles) with a concentration of 10–100 kilograms per square kilometre (57–571 lb/sq mi). The mass of the patch is estimated to be 80,000 metric tons (88,000 short tons) with 1.8 trillion plastic pieces, 92% of which is made up of objects larger than 0.5 centimetres (3⁄16 in). The patch is believed to have increased "10-fold each decade" since 1945, with plastic pollution at sea densely distributed within the patch but scattered throughout the top few meters of the ocean.
The GPGP is the largest accumulation of ocean plastic in the world and is located between Hawaii and California. It is the largest of the five offshore plastic accumulation zones in the world's oceans. The patch is made up of the Western Garbage Patch, located near Japan, and the Eastern Garbage Patch, located between Hawaii and California. These areas of spinning debris are linked by the North Pacific Subtropical Convergence Zone, located a few hundred kilometres north of Hawaii. The entire GPGP is bounded by the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre, a large system of swirling ocean currents formed by four currents rotating clockwise around an area of 20 million square kilometres (7.7 million square miles).
The plastic in the GPGP comes from the Pacific Rim, including countries in Asia, North America, and South America. A 2022 study reported that the largest contributors of plastic pollution in the GPGP are Japan, China, South Korea, the US, and Taiwan. A 2018 study found that synthetic fishing nets made up nearly half the mass of the GPGP, largely due to increased fishing activity in the Pacific Ocean. Other items found in the GPGP include fishing gear, shoes, and plastic bottles.
The GPGP poses a significant threat to marine life. Animals migrating through or inhabiting this area are likely consuming plastic, with sea turtles and albatross chicks from Kure Atoll and Oahu Island found to have a significant percentage of their diets composed of ocean plastics. These plastics are often laden with Persistent Bio-accumulative Toxic (PBT) chemicals, which can be harmful to the animals ingesting them. Additionally, fishing nets can entangle and trap animals, endangering their lives.
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It is a gyre of floating microplastics
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a collection of marine debris in the North Pacific Ocean. It is often referred to as a "patch" or "island" of floating garbage, but in reality, it is a gyre of dispersed, often microscopic, particles known as microplastics. These microplastics are suspended in the upper water column, making the water appear cloudy. While the patch covers a vast area of approximately 1.6 million square kilometres, its low density of 4 particles per cubic metre prevents detection by satellite imagery or casual observers such as boaters or divers.
The term gyre refers to a large system of swirling ocean currents. The North Pacific Subtropical Gyre, which bounds the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, 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, and the circular motion draws debris into the stable centre, trapping it. This stable centre is where the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is located.
The microplastics in the patch are the result of the breakdown of larger plastic waste. Factors such as sun exposure, waves, and marine life contribute to the degradation process. Once plastics enter the gyre, they are unlikely to leave until they degrade into smaller microplastics. The concentration of microplastics in the patch is increasing due to the continuous input of plastic pollution.
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is not the only garbage patch in the ocean. Researchers have identified two additional areas of concentrated marine debris: one in the South Pacific Ocean and the other in the North Atlantic. These patches are also gyres that collect and trap plastic waste and debris, contributing to the growing problem of plastic pollution in our oceans.
The impact of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch extends beyond the mere accumulation of plastic waste. It has become a habitat for coastal species, such as jellyfish and sponges, which are not typically found in the open ocean. This mix of coastal and open-ocean species has raised concerns about the potential formation of unnatural communities, where coastal creatures may compete with or consume open-ocean species. Additionally, microplastics have been found in the stomachs of various birds, fish, and even larger marine mammals, raising questions about the health implications for these animals.
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It is three times the size of France
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, also known as the Pacific trash vortex, spans waters from the West Coast of North America to Japan. It is not a single island of trash, but a widely dispersed area consisting primarily of microplastics—small plastic particles suspended at or just below the surface. These microplastics are often microscopic and come from wastes thrown away on land, as well as abandoned fishing gear and shipping waste.
Despite its low density, the patch covers an estimated 1.6 million square kilometres (620,000 square miles), with a concentration of 10–100 kilograms per square kilometre. This is about twice the size of Texas or, to put it another way, three times the size of France. The patch is constantly growing, and as of 2018, it was estimated to contain 80,000 metric tons (88,000 short tons) of plastic, later growing to twice the size of Texas.
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is bounded by the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre, a large system of swirling ocean currents that pull trash towards its centre and trap it there. The circular motion of the gyre draws in debris, which becomes trapped in the calm and stable centre. This creates a vortex of plastic waste and debris broken down into small particles in the ocean.
The size and scope of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch are difficult to comprehend. It is so large that it has been nicknamed the 'eighth continent' and is the world's biggest ocean waste repository, with 1.8 billion pieces of floating plastic. The patch is also home to a diverse range of coastal species, including jellyfish and sponges, that have been able to survive and reproduce on plastic garbage, thousands of miles from their original homes.
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It is made of 80,000 metric tons of plastic
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, also known as the Pacific Trash Vortex, is a collection of marine debris in the North Pacific Ocean. It spans waters from the West Coast of North America to Japan. The patch is made up of the Western Garbage Patch, located near Japan, and the Eastern Garbage Patch, located between Hawaii and California.
Despite public perception of the patch as giant islands of floating garbage, it is actually a widely dispersed area of \"fingernail-sized or smaller\"—often microscopic—particles in the upper water column known as microplastics. These microplastics make up 94% of the estimated 1.8 trillion plastic pieces in the patch but only account for 8% of its weight. The rest of the weight comes from the fishing industry, with synthetic fishing nets making up nearly half the mass of the patch.
The patch covers 1.6 million square kilometres (0.62 million square miles) with a concentration of 10–100 kilograms per square kilometre (57–571 lb/sq mi). It is estimated to contain 80,000 metric tons (88,000 short tons) of plastic, with 92% of the mass found in objects larger than 0.5 centimetres (3⁄16 in). This is equivalent to more than 740 Boeing 777s.
While the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is the largest accumulation of plastic in the open ocean, it is invisible to satellites due to the small size of the plastic particles. The rotating currents of the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre, a large system of swirling ocean currents, draw debris into its stable centre, trapping it.
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It is a growing ecological tragedy
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, also known as the Pacific trash vortex, spans waters from the West Coast of North America to Japan. It is a constantly growing continent of rubbish measuring some 1.6 million square kilometres and containing 80,000 metric tons of plastic, according to a scientific study published in 2018. It is now more than three times the size of France, to give some idea of its scale.
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is the largest accumulation of ocean plastic in the world. The patch is bounded by an enormous gyre—the biggest of five huge, spinning circular currents in the world's oceans that pull trash towards their centres and trap it there, creating a garbage vortex. The North Pacific Subtropical Gyre, formed by four currents, is responsible for the creation of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. The California Current, the North Equatorial Current, the Kuroshio Current, and the North Pacific Current rotate clockwise around an area of 20 million square kilometres, trapping debris in the centre.
Despite the common perception of the patch as giant islands of floating garbage, its low density prevents detection by satellite imagery or even by casual boaters or divers in the area. This is because 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, measuring just a few millimetres in diameter, come from wastes thrown away on land as well as abandoned fishing gear, including nets, baskets, and cages.
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a growing ecological tragedy. It is home to coastal species surviving in the open ocean and reproducing, which has led to the creation of unnatural or "neopelagic communities". These coastal species, including jellyfish, sponges, crabs, and anemones, are commonly found in the western Pacific coast and are surviving alongside open-ocean species on the plastic. Scientists have warned there has been a “rapid and unprecedented” increase in ocean plastic pollution since 2005.
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Frequently asked questions
The plastic island, also known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, is not actually an island. It is a gyre or vortex of plastic waste and debris broken down into small particles in the ocean. It covers an estimated 1.6 million square kilometres or 620,000 square miles, which is about twice the size of Texas or three times the size of France.
The plastic island cannot be seen from satellites because it is made up of microplastics, which are tiny bits of plastic that are often microscopic or just a few millimetres in diameter. These microplastics make the water look like a cloudy soup, and do not create a continuous patch of easily visible marine debris.
The plastic island was discovered in 1997 by Captain Charles Moore, an American boat captain and oceanographer. While sailing from Hawaii to California, he encountered a vast sea of plastic that took him seven days to cross. Moore's discovery mobilised the scientific community and brought the issue of plastic pollution in the ocean to the public eye.
Organisations like The Ocean Cleanup are working to rid the oceans of plastic. As of November 2024, they have removed 20 million kilograms of trash from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Additionally, individuals like Charles Moore continue to raise awareness through environmental organisations, such as the Algalita Marine Research Foundation.
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