Sofia Martinez
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, also known as the Pacific Trash Vortex, is a gyre of marine debris particles in the central North Pacific Ocean. It was discovered in 1997 by Captain Charles Moore, who noticed a steady stream of plastic while sailing from Hawaii to California. The patch is not a continuous island of trash, but a widely dispersed area of microplastics and larger items, such as fishing gear and shoes, that can make the water look like a cloudy soup. Despite this, it is the largest accumulation of plastic in the open ocean and has led to the formation of plastic super islands discovered around 60 years ago.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name | Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP) |
| Year of Discovery | 1997 |
| Discoverer | Captain Charles Moore |
| Discovery Location | Central North Pacific Ocean |
| Discovery Method | Sailing from Hawaii to California |
| Size | 1.6 million sq km (618,000-620,000 sq miles) |
| Weight | 80,000 metric tons (88,000 short tons) |
| Number of Plastic Pieces | 1.8 trillion |
| Proportion of Microplastics | 94% |
| Proportion of Larger Objects | 92% of mass |
| Age of Plastic | Some over 50 years old |
| Items Found | Plastic lighters, toothbrushes, water bottles, pens, baby bottles, cell phones, plastic bags, nurdles, etc. |
| Cleanup Efforts | The Ocean Cleanup, Plastic Bank, Parley for the Oceans, 4Ocean |
| Current Status | Cleanup of 0.5% of total trash completed by end of 2024 |
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What You'll Learn
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch was discovered in 1997
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a gyre of marine debris particles in the central North Pacific Ocean, was discovered in 1997 by Captain Charles Moore. It is located roughly from 135°W to 155°W and 35°N to 42°N. The collection of plastic and floating trash originates from the Pacific Rim, including countries in Asia, North America, and South America.
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is often imagined as a landmass or a trash island. However, it does not form a solid mass, and there is no surface on which to stand. Instead, the ocean looks like a murky soup, made up of different-sized plastics, including microplastics, which are often microscopic and cannot be seen by the naked eye. This makes it difficult to capture in images, even from satellites, drones, or Google Earth.
The discovery of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch has brought attention to the issue of plastic pollution in the ocean. The patch is believed to have increased "10-fold each decade" since 1945, and it is estimated that there are 1.8 trillion pieces of plastic in the patch, with microplastics accounting for 94% of the pieces. The patch covers approximately 1.6 million square kilometers (0.62 million square miles), with a concentration of 10-100 kilograms per square kilometer.
Efforts to clean up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch have been made by organizations such as The Ocean Cleanup, which has removed millions of kilograms of trash from the patch. However, the cleanup process is challenging and expensive, and no single country has taken responsibility or provided funding for the cleanup due to the patch's distance from any coastline.
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It is not a solid mass, but a gyre of marine debris
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, also known as the Pacific Trash Vortex, is a gyre of marine debris particles in the central North Pacific Ocean. It was discovered by Captain Charles Moore in 1997 while sailing from Hawaii to California. Moore noticed a steady stream of plastic bobbing in the ocean and, puzzled by the source of the litter, embarked on two years of research and modelling before returning to investigate. Using a net system to sample the surface of the ocean, he found six times as much plastic as plankton floating in the water.
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is often imagined as a solid mass or a floating island of trash. However, this is a misconception. The patch is not a continuous patch of easily visible marine debris but a widely dispersed area consisting primarily of suspended "fingernail-sized or smaller"—often microscopic—particles called microplastics. These microplastics cannot be seen by the naked eye, and even satellite imagery does not show a giant patch of garbage. Instead, the ocean in this area looks like a cloudy or murky soup, with larger items such as fishing gear and shoes intermixed.
The size of the patch is indefinite, and its precise distribution is difficult to determine due to the rarity of larger items. Researchers have found that the patch covers 1.6 million square kilometres (0.62 million square miles) with a concentration of 10–100 kilograms per square kilometre. It is estimated to contain 80,000 metric tons of trash, with 1.8 trillion plastic pieces, 92% of which are larger than 0.5 centimetres. The patch is believed to be rapidly accumulating, increasing "10-fold each decade" since 1945.
The patch is located far from any country's coastline, and no nation has taken responsibility or provided funding for its cleanup. The Ocean Cleanup, a non-profit organisation founded by Dutch entrepreneur Boyan Slat, has been working to clear the garbage patch. By the end of 2024, they had removed over one million pounds of trash, or 0.5% of the total accumulated trash.
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is not the only plastic island in the world's oceans. There are at least six other plastic super islands, located mainly in the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans. These vast expanses of plastic waste have emerged due to decades of marine pollution and pose a significant threat to the health of our oceans and marine life.
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It is the largest accumulation of plastic in the open ocean
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, also known as the Pacific Trash Vortex or North Pacific Garbage Patch, is the largest accumulation of plastic in the open ocean. It is located in the central North Pacific Ocean, about a thousand miles from land. The patch is not a solid mass of plastic but rather a gyre of marine debris particles, with a low density of four particles per cubic metre. This means that it cannot be detected by satellite imagery or even by casual boaters or divers in the area. Instead, the ocean in this area looks like a cloudy or murky soup of different-sized plastics, with larger items such as fishing gear and shoes interspersed.
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch was discovered in 1997 by Captain Charles Moore, who was sailing from Hawaii to California when he noticed a steady stream of plastic in the ocean. He founded the Algalita Marine Research Foundation, which continues to raise awareness about the issue. The patch is believed to have been created by swirling ocean currents, or gyres, that act like a trash vortex, sucking in plastics and constantly shifting. The size of the patch is indefinite, but it is estimated to cover 1.6 million square kilometres, with a concentration of 10 to 100 kilograms per square kilometre. It is predicted to have increased tenfold each decade since 1945, and plastic pollution in this region is expected to persist.
The Ocean Cleanup, a non-profit organisation founded by Dutch entrepreneur Boyan Slat, has been working to clear the garbage patch. They have removed over one million pounds of trash from the patch as of the end of 2024, which is about 0.5% of the total accumulated trash. The trash in the patch is a mix of microplastics and larger objects, some of which are over 50 years old. Items found include plastic lighters, toothbrushes, water bottles, pens, baby bottles, cell phones, plastic bags, and nurdles.
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch poses a significant threat to marine life and ecosystems. Animals migrating through or inhabiting this area are likely to consume plastic, with studies finding high percentages of plastic in the diets of sea turtles and Laysan albatross chicks. The plastic in the patch also contains harmful pollutants such as BPA and PCBs, which can enter the food chain when consumed by marine life and potentially affect humans as well. The impact of the patch is not limited to the immediate area, as plastic from the gyres can wash up on the shores of distant island nations such as Fiji, the Cook Islands, and Vanuatu.
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It is home to a thriving ecosystem of over 40 species
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, also known as the Pacific Trash Vortex or the North Pacific Garbage Patch, was discovered in 1997 by Captain Charles Moore. It is a gyre of marine debris particles in the central North Pacific Ocean, located over a thousand miles from land.
Despite public perception, the patch is not a solid mass or floating island of trash. Instead, it is a widely dispersed area consisting primarily of microplastics—small, often microscopic, pieces of plastic. These microplastics are intermixed with larger items, such as fishing gear, containers, bags, and bottles. While the patch cannot be seen from space, it covers an estimated area of 1.6 million square kilometres (620,000-618,000 square miles) and contains 80,000 to 129,000 metric tons of trash.
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is home to a thriving ecosystem of over 40 species. A 2022 discovery revealed the presence of a diverse array of life, indicating that a cleanup of the garbage patch could inadvertently harm this newly discovered plastisphere. A 2023 study further supported this, finding that the plastic island is home to coastal species, such as jellyfish and sponges, that are reproducing alongside open-ocean species. This mix of coastal and oceanic species has raised concerns among scientists about the potential formation of "neopelagic communities," where coastal creatures may compete with or consume open-ocean species.
The plastic in the patch has been accumulating for decades, with some pieces being over 50 years old. It is estimated that the patch has increased "10-fold each decade" since 1945, posing a serious threat to marine life and ecosystems. The garbage patch contains approximately six pounds of plastic for every pound of plankton, and the plastic is further contaminated with chemicals such as bisphenol A (BPA) and PCBs. As a result, animals that ingest the plastic, such as sea turtles and albatross chicks, also ingest these toxic chemicals, leading to potential health and environmental issues.
Efforts to clean up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch have been led by organisations such as The Ocean Cleanup, which has removed millions of kilograms of trash from the patch. However, the patch's vast size and dispersed nature make it a challenging task, and no single country has taken responsibility for addressing the issue.
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Efforts to clean up the patch are ongoing
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, located in the North Pacific Ocean, is the largest accumulation of plastic in the open ocean. It was discovered by Charles Moore in 1997. Moore continues to raise awareness about the issue through his environmental organization, the Algalita Marine Research Foundation.
The size and dispersion of the patch also make cleanup difficult. It covers approximately 1.6 million square kilometers (0.62 million square miles) and consists of an estimated 1.8 trillion pieces of plastic weighing 80,000-100,000 metric tons. Microplastics, which are tiny pieces of plastic not always visible to the naked eye, dominate the area by count, while larger objects make up 92% of the patch's mass.
The Ocean Cleanup, a non-profit organization, has been working to clean up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch since 2013. By the end of 2024, they had removed over one million pounds of trash, or 0.5% of the total accumulated trash. They have since transitioned to "System 03", which is claimed to be 10 times more effective than its predecessor.
Other organizations, such as the Plastic Pollution Coalition and the Plastic Oceans Foundation, are using social media and direct action campaigns to support individuals, manufacturers, and businesses in transitioning from toxic, disposable plastics to biodegradable alternatives. Scientists and explorers agree that reducing or eliminating the use of disposable plastics is crucial for effectively cleaning up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
Additionally, a 2021 peer-reviewed study assessed the environmental impact of removing plastic from the patch and concluded that the benefits outweighed the costs. The study found that marine life is more vulnerable to plastic pollution than to offshore cleanup efforts, as microplastics interfere with the ocean's natural carbon cycle.
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Frequently asked questions
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, often referred to as a plastic island, was discovered in 1997 by Captain Charles Moore.
Captain Charles Moore is a boat captain and oceanographer. He discovered the Great Pacific Garbage Patch while sailing from Hawaii to California and noticed a steady stream of plastics bobbing in the ocean.
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is the largest accumulation of plastic in the open ocean. It is located in the central North Pacific Ocean and is made up of marine debris from countries in Asia, North America, and South America.
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch covers approximately 1.6 million square kilometers (0.62 million square miles) and contains an estimated 1.8 trillion pieces of plastic. The size of the patch is constantly changing due to ocean currents and wind patterns.
Several organizations are working to clean up and prevent the formation of plastic islands. One example is Ocean Cleanup, a Dutch foundation that has designed a system of floating barriers to capture plastic. By 2024, they had removed over one million pounds of trash from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
