Alexei Volkov
Plastic pollution in the ocean is a pressing environmental issue, with plastic debris found across all ocean basins, ecosystems, habitats, and food webs. One of the most well-known examples of plastic accumulation in the ocean is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, located in the North Pacific Gyre. This gyre, or system of circulating ocean currents, collects plastic debris and other materials in its center, forming a large, floating garbage patch. The plastic waste in this gyre is transported by converging currents and can persist at the sea surface, making its way offshore. Once plastics enter the gyre, they are trapped and accumulate over time, only degrading into smaller microplastics under the effects of sun, waves, and marine life. This accumulation of plastic in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch has severe ecological implications, impacting marine life and contaminating the marine environment with harmful chemicals.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Location | Between Hawaii and California |
| Size | Twice the size of Texas or three times the size of France |
| Composition | Tiny microplastics with scattered larger items such as fishing gear |
| Formation | Three forces cause the circulation of a gyre: global wind patterns, Earth's rotation, and Earth's landmasses |
| Contributing factors | Currents in the gyres create a swirling vortex that traps plastic debris; plastic waste is also carried down to the seafloor by currents and waves |
| Impact | Marine life may mistake plastic for food, absorbing toxic chemicals; plastic can also release harmful chemicals into the water |
| Solutions | Modelling to identify pathways that bring plastic to the gyres; potential for commercial approaches to cleaning operations |
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What You'll Learn
- Ocean currents and gyres trap plastic debris, making it difficult to escape
- Plastic debris is transported over long distances by currents, accumulating in gyres
- Plastic waste can sink to the ocean floor, posing a danger to marine life
- Plastic chemicals are harmful to marine life and can be absorbed by predators
- Marine debris, including plastic, accumulates in garbage patches far from coastlines
Ocean currents and gyres trap plastic debris, making it difficult to escape
Ocean gyres are large rotating currents that circulate around the world's oceans. There are five major ocean gyres: the North Atlantic Gyre, the South Atlantic Gyre, the North Pacific Gyre, the South Pacific Gyre, and the Indian Ocean Gyre. These gyres have a unique ability to trap and accumulate debris, including plastic waste, in their calm and stable centres. The North Pacific Gyre, for example, 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 kilometres (7.7 million square miles).
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, located within the North Pacific Gyre, is the most well-known example of an ocean gyre's tendency to accumulate plastic waste. It is the largest accumulation of plastic in the open ocean, spanning waters from the west coast of North America to Japan. The patch is comprised of the Western Garbage Patch, located near Japan, and the Eastern Garbage Patch, located between Hawaii and California. These garbage patches are spread out over a large area, rather than in one clump, and extend vertically from the surface down to the ocean floor. The Eastern and Western Garbage Patches gradually draw in plastic debris, which accumulates due to its non-biodegradable nature.
The plastic debris in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch comes from a variety of sources, including fishing gear, buoys, eel traps, crates, nets, and oyster spacers. Research has shown that about 80% of the plastic in the patch comes from fishing activities at sea, with synthetic fishing nets making up nearly half of the mass. The plastic waste in the gyre is broken down into smaller and smaller pieces by the sun and waves, a process known as photodegradation. These microplastics can be harmful to marine life, as they can be mistaken for food and eaten by birds, fish, and even larger marine mammals.
The swirling vortex created by the ocean currents in gyres makes it difficult for plastic debris to escape. The plastic waste is transported over long distances by the currents, allowing it to accumulate in specific regions. Once the plastics enter the gyre, they are unlikely to leave until they degrade into smaller microplastics. As more plastics are discarded into the environment, the concentration of microplastics in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch will continue to increase.
The impact of plastic pollution in the ocean is significant, and it is important to address the problem at its source. While beach clean-ups and other initiatives are working to remove plastic waste from the ocean, it is also crucial to reduce the amount of plastic entering the ocean in the first place. This can be achieved through a combination of improved waste management practices, reduced consumption of single-use plastics, and increased recycling efforts.
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Plastic debris is transported over long distances by currents, accumulating in gyres
Gyres are large rotating currents that circulate around the world's oceans. They have a unique ability to trap and accumulate debris, including plastic waste. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, located in the North Pacific Gyre, is the most well-known example of an ocean gyre. It is the largest accumulation of plastic in the open ocean, with an estimated surface area of 1.6 million square kilometres. The patch is made up of tiny microplastics, with scattered larger items such as fishing gear.
The currents create a swirling vortex that traps plastic debris, making it difficult for the plastic to escape. The sun and waves break down the plastic waste into smaller pieces, which can make it even more challenging to clean up. The plastic debris is carried down to the seafloor by currents and waves, where it can be dangerous for the creatures that live there. Animals may mistake plastic for food and eat it, which can take up space in their stomachs and digestive systems, leading to a reduction in appetite.
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is not the only garbage patch in the ocean. Researchers have discovered other areas where concentrated marine debris collects, such as in the South Pacific Ocean and the North Atlantic. These garbage patches are always moving and changing with the currents, and they are made up of tiny microplastics that are difficult to see with the naked eye. As more plastics are discarded into the environment, microplastic concentration in these patches will continue to increase.
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Plastic waste can sink to the ocean floor, posing a danger to marine life
Plastic waste is a pressing issue that poses a significant threat to marine life. While it is well known that plastic debris can float on the ocean's surface, accumulating in patches such as the infamous Great Pacific Garbage Patch, it is less commonly recognized that plastic can also sink to the ocean floor. This sunken plastic poses a hidden danger to marine organisms that inhabit the seafloor and those that feed on them.
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, located between Hawaii and California, is the most famous example of plastic accumulation in an ocean gyre. Gyres are large systems of circulating ocean currents that act as whirlpools, trapping and accumulating plastic waste and other marine debris. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is primarily composed of tiny microplastics, resembling a peppery soup with scattered larger items such as fishing gear. This patch covers an estimated surface area of 1.6 million square kilometers, twice the size of Texas.
However, not all plastic waste stays afloat in these gyres. Some plastic debris is carried down to the seafloor by currents and waves, where it sinks due to its density. This plastic mess on the ocean floor poses a significant threat to the creatures that inhabit this ecosystem. Animals that feed on food from the seafloor may accidentally ingest these plastic pieces, leading to harmful consequences. The ingested plastic can occupy space in their gut and digestive system, resulting in reduced feeding signals and potential starvation.
The impact of plastic ingestion on marine life extends beyond physical obstruction. Floating plastics in the oceans have been found to accumulate pollutants, such as harmful chemicals and pathogens, which are then transported through ocean currents. When marine organisms consume these contaminated plastics, they absorb these toxins into their bodies. This contamination can affect a wide range of species, from tiny zooplankton to larger fish, seabirds, and marine mammals.
Additionally, plastic waste can encourage the growth of pathogens in the ocean. Corals that come into contact with plastic have an 89% chance of contracting diseases, compared to a 4% likelihood for corals that are plastic-free. The problem is so pervasive that scientists predict that the weight of ocean plastics will exceed the combined weight of all the fish in the seas by 2050. This projection highlights the urgency of addressing plastic pollution to protect marine ecosystems and the benefits they provide, valued at up to $50 trillion per year.
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Plastic chemicals are harmful to marine life and can be absorbed by predators
Gyres are large rotating ocean currents that create a swirling vortex, trapping plastic debris and making it difficult for the plastic to escape. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, located between Hawaii and California, is the most infamous example of this. It is an enormous area where plastic debris concentrates due to ocean currents, forming a large, floating garbage patch.
Plastic debris in the ocean is extremely harmful to marine life. Large items of plastic can entangle marine mammals and fish, leading to starvation, injury and vulnerability to predators. Marine megafauna are also vulnerable to plastic ingestion. In 2019, a whale was found washed up with 40kg of plastic in its stomach, mostly plastic bags. Turtles often mistake plastic bags for jellyfish, their staple food, and when eaten, the plastic makes them feel full, leading to starvation. Seabirds are also affected, with almost every dead albatross found on Midway Atoll having some form of plastic in its stomach.
The chemicals in plastics can also be extremely harmful to marine life. Research has shown that the most commonly produced plastics absorb the most chemicals, and for longer periods of time than previously thought. These plastics can absorb up to one million times more toxic chemicals than the water around them, and as they continue to degrade, they become even more hazardous as they absorb more contaminants. Marine creatures that ingest these plastics might suffer from the plastic itself and the pollutants it has absorbed.
These toxic chemicals can build up in the fatty tissues of animals that have eaten contaminated species, known as biomagnification. The higher up the food chain, the greater the concentration of toxins. Orcas have been found with some of the highest deposits of chemicals in their fatty tissues and breast milk, which is then fed to their young.
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Marine debris, including plastic, accumulates in garbage patches far from coastlines
Plastic waste enters the ocean in various ways, including improper disposal, shipping container spills, and being washed into the ocean from rivers, streams, and beaches. Once in the ocean, plastics are transported over long distances by ocean currents, converging at gyres. The stronger and more buoyant plastics can travel extended distances, persisting at the sea surface as they make their way offshore. The rotational patterns of gyres draw in waste material from surrounding areas, trapping plastic debris in a swirling vortex. This waste includes fishing gear, household items, and microplastics, which are often microscopic particles suspended in the upper water column.
The accumulation of plastic in gyres has severe ecological consequences. Plastic can remain in the marine environment for extended periods, slowly degrading into smaller microplastics under the effects of sun, waves, and marine life. These microplastics are consumed by marine organisms, such as plankton, passing the problem up the food chain, even to humans. Additionally, plastic releases harmful chemicals into the water, contaminating marine life and posing health risks to marine animals, fish, and seabirds.
The extent of plastic pollution in gyres is significant. For example, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch covers an estimated surface area of 1.6 million square kilometers, twice the size of Texas or three times the size of France. Despite its vast size, the patch's low density prevents detection by satellite imagery or casual observers. This issue is not limited to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch; other garbage patches worldwide, such as the Atlantic Ocean Garbage Patch and the Indian Ocean Garbage Patch, face similar challenges.
Addressing the accumulation of marine debris in gyres requires a multifaceted approach. While cleanup efforts, such as The Ocean Cleanup project, have made progress in removing trash from these areas, reducing plastic consumption, improving waste management, and enforcing proper disposal practices are essential preventive measures. Additionally, banning microbeads in rinse-off cosmetic products can help reduce the number of microplastics entering the ocean. By combining cleanup initiatives with policy changes and individual efforts to reduce plastic use, we can work towards mitigating the impact of plastic pollution on our oceans and the ecosystems they support.
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Frequently asked questions
Gyres are large rotating currents that circulate around the world's oceans, trapping and accumulating debris, including plastic waste.
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, located between Hawaii and California, is the most infamous example of a gyre accumulating plastic waste.
Plastic waste can enter the ocean through littering, improper waste disposal, and the use of products that go down the drain.
Plastic accumulation in gyres can release harmful chemicals into the water, harming marine life. Animals may also mistake plastic for food and eat it, leading to health issues and even death.
Depending on the type of plastic and marine environment conditions, plastic can take anywhere from a few years to thousands of years to decompose.
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