The Pacific's Plastic Plague: Understanding The Garbage Patch

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a large area of the Pacific Ocean where plastic waste has accumulated. It is estimated that 80% of the plastic in the ocean comes from land-based sources, with the remaining 20% coming from boats and other marine sources. While the specifics are unclear, it is believed that microplastics make up 90-94% of the objects in the patch.

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP) is made up of microplastics, mesoplastics, macroplastics, and megaplastics

The GPGP is believed to have increased "10-fold each decade" since 1945 and is rapidly accumulating. Some of the plastic in the patch is over 50 years old. 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. An open-access study published in 2022 concluded that 75% up to 86% of the plastic pollution is from fishing and agriculture, with most identified emissions originating from Japan, China, South Korea, the US and Taiwan.

Plastics were by far the most dominant type of marine litter found, representing more than 99.9% of the 1,136,145 pieces and 668 kg of floating debris collected by trawls. It is estimated that an area of 1.6 million km2 holds ocean plastic concentrations ranging from 10s to 100s kg km−2. This area defines the GPGP boundary for one study. It is predicted that the GPGP contains a total of 1.8 trillion plastic pieces weighing 79 k tonnes.

A 2022 study found that 75-86% of plastic pollution in the GPGP is from fishing and agriculture

A 2022 study found that 75-86% of plastic pollution in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP) is from fishing and agriculture. The GPGP is a vast accumulation of plastic waste in the Pacific Ocean, and it is estimated to contain 1.8 trillion plastic pieces, weighing 79,000 tonnes. The majority of the plastic in the patch is made up of microplastics, which are tiny plastic particles less than five millimetres in size. These microplastics dominate the area by count, but larger objects that have not yet fragmented into microplastics make up 92% of the patch's mass.

The 2022 study also found that most of the identified emissions originated from Japan, China, South Korea, the US and Taiwan. This is in line with a National Geographic report, which stated that 80% of plastic in the ocean comes from land-based sources, while the remaining 20% comes from boats and other marine sources. A 2018 study found that synthetic fishing nets made up nearly half of the GPGP, largely due to increased fishing activity in the Pacific Ocean.

The GPGP is believed to have increased rapidly over time, with research indicating a tenfold increase each decade since 1945. This rapid accumulation is a major concern, as the patch now contains approximately six pounds of plastic for every pound of plankton. Despite this, it is important to note that most plastic does not end up in the ocean. A study by Our World in Data found that only approximately 0.5% of plastic ends up in the sea, while the majority resides on shorelines.

A 2018 study found that synthetic fishing nets made up nearly half the mass of the GPGP

A 2018 study found that synthetic fishing nets made up nearly half the mass of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP). This is largely due to ocean current dynamics and increased fishing activity in the Pacific Ocean.

The GPGP is a large area of the Pacific Ocean where plastic waste accumulates. It is not visible to the naked eye, and the majority of the plastic in the patch is made up of microplastics, or "tiny plastic particles less than five millimetres in size". These microplastics dominate the area by count, but larger objects make up 92% of the patch's mass.

The GPGP is believed to be rapidly accumulating, with an estimated increase of "10-fold each decade" since 1945. Some of the plastic in the patch is over 50 years old, and includes items such as plastic lighters, toothbrushes, water bottles, pens, baby bottles, cell phones, plastic bags, and nurdles.

Research has found that plastics are by far the most dominant type of marine litter in the GPGP, representing more than 99.9% of the pieces of floating debris collected. It is estimated that the GPGP contains a total of 1.8 trillion plastic pieces, weighing 79,000 tonnes.

While the specifics are unclear, the World Wildlife Fund estimates that microplastics make up 94% of objects in the GPGP. A study by Our World in Data found that approximately 0.5% of plastic ends up in the sea, while the majority resides on shorelines. This is in contrast to the common mental image of piles of plastic waste floating on the ocean surface.

The World Wildlife Fund estimates that microplastics make up 94% of objects in the GPGP

The World Wildlife Fund estimates that microplastics make up 94% of objects in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP). This is in line with other estimates, such as a study by Our World in Data, which found that at least 90% of the trash in the GPGP is made up of microplastics. These are defined as "tiny plastic particles less than five millimetres in size".

Microplastics are not visible to the naked eye, which means that the GPGP looks very different from the common mental image of piles of plastic waste floating on the ocean surface. In fact, the majority of plastic does not end up in the ocean. A study by Our World in Data found that approximately 0.5% of plastic ends up in the sea, while the majority of it resides on shorelines.

Despite this, the GPGP is a significant environmental concern. By the end of 2024, the Ocean Cleanup had removed more than one million pounds of trash from the GPGP, or 0.5% of the total accumulated trash. The patch is believed to have increased "10-fold each decade" since 1945 and is rapidly accumulating. Research has found that an area of 1.6 million km2 holds ocean plastic concentrations ranging from 10s to 100s kg km-2. This area defines the GPGP boundary for this particular study.

The GPGP contains a large amount of plastic, with an estimated total of 1.8 trillion plastic pieces weighing 79,000 tonnes. This includes debris categorised into four size classes: microplastics (0.05-0.5 cm), mesoplastics (0.5-5 cm), macroplastics (5-50 cm), and megaplastics (>50 cm). The patch contains approximately six pounds of plastic for every pound of plankton.

The Ocean Cleanup removed 0.5% of the GPGP by the end of 2024

By the end of 2024, The Ocean Cleanup had removed 0.5% of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP). This equates to more than one million pounds of trash.

The GPGP is a large area of the Pacific Ocean containing a high concentration of plastic pollution. It 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 GPGP is largely made up of microplastics, which are "tiny plastic particles less than five millimetres in size". It is estimated that microplastics make up 90-94% of the objects in the patch. However, 92% of the mass of the patch consists of larger objects which have not yet fragmented into microplastics.

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. An open-access study published in 2022 concluded that 75-86% of the plastic pollution is from fishing and agriculture, with most identified emissions originating from Japan, China, South Korea, the US and Taiwan.

Frequently asked questions