Ethan Clarke
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 the most infamous garbage patch, but it is not the only one in the ocean. The garbage 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 are derived from the breakdown of plastic waste in the ocean, which can come from a variety of sources such as plastic bags, bottle caps, water bottles, fishing gear, and Styrofoam cups. While the patch poses a threat to the original marine ecosystem, it is controllable.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name | Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP) |
| Location | North Pacific Ocean, between Hawaii and California |
| Size | 1.6 million square kilometres (620,000 square miles) |
| Composition | Microplastics, larger objects such as fishing gear, shoes, plastic lighters, toothbrushes, water bottles, pens, baby bottles, cell phones, plastic bags, and nurdles |
| Weight | 45,000–129,000 metric tons (50,000–1 million tons) |
| Density | 4 particles per cubic metre (3.1/cu yd) |
| Plastic Concentration | 6 pounds of plastic for every pound of plankton |
| Plastic Sources | Land-based sources (80%), boats and other marine sources (20%) |
| Contributing Factors | Plastic's durability, low cost, and malleability |
| Removal Efforts | Ocean Cleanup removed over 1 million pounds of trash (0.5% of total) by the end of 2024 |
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What You'll Learn
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch
The GPGP is bounded by the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre, formed by four currents: the California Current, the North Equatorial Current, the Kuroshio Current, and the North Pacific Current. The gyre's rotational pattern draws in waste material from across the North Pacific, incorporating coastal waters off North America and Japan. The circular motion of the gyre pulls debris into its stable centre, where it becomes trapped. The area in the centre of a gyre tends to be very calm and stable, and the convergence zone acts like a highway that moves debris from one patch to another.
The collection of plastic and floating trash in the GPGP originates from the Pacific Rim, including countries in Asia, North America, and South America. The patch is made up of microplastics, often microscopic particles in the upper water column, intermixed with larger items such as fishing gear and shoes. These microplastics are a result of larger plastics breaking down into smaller pieces. A 2018 study reported 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. A 2014 study found that discarded fishing gear such as buoys, lines, and nets accounted for more than 60% of the mass of plastic marine debris.
The Ocean Cleanup project has been working to remove trash from the GPGP, and by the end of 2024, they had removed more than one million pounds of trash, or 0.5% of the total accumulated trash. Scientists present on the expedition noted that there was an alarming amount of plastic floating in the patch, with more large objects than originally expected. The GPGP is believed to be rapidly accumulating, increasing "10-fold each decade" since 1945.
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Plastic entering the ocean from rivers
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, from 135°W to 155°W and 35°N to 42°N. The patch is not a solid mass but a dispersed area of microplastics and floating trash, dominated by plastic particles and larger objects such as fishing gear.
Research suggests that a significant portion of plastic entering the ocean comes from land-based sources, with 70% to 80% of plastic transported from land to sea via rivers. The remaining 20% to 30% originates from marine sources such as fishing equipment and abandoned vessels. Rivers with nearby cities and proximity to coastlines tend to contribute more plastic emissions. For example, the Yangtze River in Asia is estimated to discharge up to 1.5 million metric tons of plastic waste into the Yellow Sea annually.
To address the issue of plastic entering the ocean from rivers, it is crucial to improve waste management practices, particularly in highly polluted regions. This includes implementing better waste collection systems and raising public awareness about the impact of plastic pollution. By tackling plastic pollution at its source and preventing it from entering rivers, we can make significant progress in reducing the amount of plastic in our oceans and mitigating its environmental impact.
The complex interplay of factors influencing plastic transportation and accumulation in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch underscores the importance of comprehensive solutions. While the problem is solvable, it requires a combination of improved waste management, policy interventions, and public education to effectively reduce plastic pollution entering the ocean from rivers.
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Plastic waste from land-based sources
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 North Pacific Gyre and is formed by four currents: the California Current, the North Equatorial Current, the Kuroshio Current, and the North Pacific Current. The circular motion of the gyre draws debris into its stable centre, where it becomes trapped.
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is not the only garbage patch in the ocean. Researchers have discovered two more areas where a "soup" of concentrated marine debris collects: one in the South Pacific Ocean and the other in the North Atlantic. In addition, a sixth garbage patch is rapidly forming in the Arctic Ocean.
The majority of plastic in the ocean comes from land-based sources, with an estimated 1.15 to 2.41 million metric tonnes of plastic entering the ocean each year from rivers. This plastic is often carried by converging currents and accumulates in the patch. Once in the gyre, the plastic will remain there until it degrades into smaller microplastics under the effects of the sun, waves, and marine life.
Microplastics dominate the Great Pacific Garbage Patch 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. The patch is believed to have increased "10-fold each decade" since 1945, and it is predicted to continue growing as more plastic is discarded into the environment.
The impact of plastic pollution in the gyres extends beyond the physical clutter of garbage. The plastic breaks down into tiny microplastics, which can be harmful to marine life. For example, loggerhead sea turtles often mistake plastic bags for jellyfish, their natural prey. Albatrosses feed plastic resin pellets to their chicks, which can lead to starvation or ruptured organs. Seals and other marine mammals are at risk of entanglement in abandoned plastic fishing nets, a phenomenon known as "ghost fishing." Additionally, the plastic debris can disturb marine food webs and disrupt the original marine ecosystem.
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The North Pacific Subtropical Gyre
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, also known as the Pacific Trash Vortex and the North Pacific Garbage Patch, is located within the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre. It is the most infamous garbage patch in the world, and the largest accumulation of plastic in the open ocean. The patch is a collection of marine debris particles, primarily microplastics, that originate from countries in Asia, North America, and South America.
The microplastics in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch are often microscopic and suspended in the upper water column. They are not easily visible to the naked eye, and even satellite imagery cannot detect them. This makes the patch appear more like a cloudy soup, with scattered larger items such as fishing gear, shoes, and plastic lighters, toothbrushes, water bottles, pens, baby bottles, cell phones, and plastic bags.
The plastic in the gyre is harmful to marine life. Loggerhead sea turtles mistake plastic bags for jellies, 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 at risk of getting entangled in abandoned plastic fishing nets, which is a phenomenon known as "ghost fishing".
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is growing due to the continuous discarding of plastic into the environment. As of 2019, it is estimated that 1.15 to 2.41 million metric tonnes of plastic are entering the ocean each year, with more than half of this plastic being less dense than water, allowing it to remain on the sea surface.
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The impact on marine life
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 the most infamous garbage patch, but it is not the only one in the ocean. The plastic in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch originates from the Pacific Rim, including countries in Asia, North America, and South America. The garbage patch is a widely dispersed area consisting primarily of "fingernail-sized or smaller"—often microscopic—particles in the upper water column known as microplastics.
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch has a significant impact on marine life. The patch contains approximately six pounds of plastic for every pound of plankton. The plastic in the gyre is broken down into small particles, and these microplastics can be harmful to marine life. For example, loggerhead sea turtles often mistake plastic bags for jelly, their favourite food. Albatrosses mistake plastic resin pellets for fish eggs and feed them to their chicks, causing them to die of starvation or ruptured organs. Seals and other marine mammals are also at risk of getting entangled in abandoned plastic fishing nets, which can lead to drowning, a phenomenon known as "ghost fishing".
The garbage patch also disrupts the balance of the original marine ecosystem and provides microorganisms with new biological conditions, leading to the development of a new ecosystem. The calm centre of the gyre, which is traditionally nutrient-poor, has been expanding due to rising sea-surface temperatures. This expansion of oligotrophic regions in ocean gyres impacts the marine food web, as these regions have fewer concentrations of organic chemicals that support producers such as algae and plankton in the ocean food web.
The plastic in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch also affects marine life by releasing toxic chemicals. As plastic breaks down into smaller pieces, it can release harmful chemicals such as bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalates, which can contaminate the water and be ingested by marine organisms. These toxic chemicals can accumulate in the tissues of marine animals and work their way up the food chain, potentially affecting the health of larger predators and even humans who consume seafood.
Additionally, the ingestion of plastic by marine life can lead to blockages in their digestive systems, causing malnutrition and even death. The presence of plastic in the ocean can also interfere with the natural behaviours of marine organisms, such as reproduction and migration. It can also affect the growth and development of marine life, as well as their ability to find food and avoid predators. The impact of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch on marine life is a serious concern and highlights the importance of addressing plastic pollution in our oceans.
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Frequently asked questions
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is located in the North Pacific Gyre, between Hawaii and California.
A gyre is a large system of swirling ocean currents. The North Pacific Subtropical Gyre is formed by four currents rotating clockwise around an area of 20 million square kilometres: the California Current, the North Equatorial Current, the Kuroshio Current, and the North Pacific Current.
The area in the centre of a gyre is very calm and stable. The circular motion of the gyre draws debris into this stable centre, where it becomes trapped. Plastic waste enters the ocean from rivers, boats, and other marine sources. Once these plastics enter the gyre, they are unlikely to leave until they degrade into smaller microplastics.
The plastic in the gyre poses a threat to marine life, including sea turtles, albatrosses, and seals. Marine debris can also disturb marine food webs and the original marine ecosystem. It can also impact human health and economies.
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