The Great Pacific Garbage Patch

College Writing
August 10, 2009 Using our oceans as garbage dumps has had negative effects on both sea life and the environment. Imagine walking by the beach in Carlsbad, California and dropping the cap from your soda bottle; as you reach to pick it up, a wave comes and sweeps it from your grasp. Three years later that cap is part of a floating island of debris in the North Pacific Ocean, that some estimate to be twice the size of Texas. Humans are having a devastating impact on the earth’s oceans. Billions of tons of recyclables have found their way to the middle of the ocean. Many studies regarding the impact of plastics on the environment have been done, yet little has been done to understand what devastating effects this will have on our environment in the future. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is one of the largest trash vortexes known to researchers. It is interesting to know that, currently, more than 60 billion tons of plastic are produced each year, and less than 5% of that is ever recycled. (Walsh) Plastic bags, bottles, toys, sun glasses and even shoes can be found floating in this giant mass of garbage. It is located in the remote waters between California and Hawaii, does not have distinct boundaries and varies in length and location throughout the year. This area moves seasonally between 23° and 37° N latitude. (NOS) Ocean currents grab the garbage and take it out to sea. It accumulates in different places where the water currents from several different oceans come together to form clock-wise rotating currents. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is made up of four large, rotating currents – North Pacific, California, North Equatorial, and Kuroshio. (NOS) The debris is caught in these currents and forms these massive garbage islands. As the developing nations continue to grow, the problem will also grow. It has been estimated that 80% of the garbage comes from land sources and 20% from ships at sea. (Handwerk) A majority of the debris observed is small plastic pieces and a majority of these pieces are located at or just below the surface of the water. These plastic particles breakdown in the water and become small enough to be ingested by the ocean life. In some areas of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch the plastic particles outnumber the plankton by six times. (Moore) This web of plastic has a huge impact on the ocean’s wildlife. Nearly 100,000 marine animals die each year in the North Pacific Ocean alone due to ingestion and entanglement in that massive web of plastic. (Moore) As plastics break down they resemble zooplankton floating just below the surface of the water. Plankton eating animals, like the jelly fish, will unknowingly ingest these particles causing illness and death. Many birds, fish and sea turtles also feed on these particles of plastic. (Rios) As these plastics breakdown, in the heat of the tropical sun, they release high volumes of contaminates into the water. These toxic chemicals pollute the water that wildlife will end up ingesting, affecting their internal organs, digestive systems and their ability to reproduce. When fish consume or absorb these chemicals it is not only harmful to them, but to us as it makes its way to our dinner table. The North Pacific is not the only garbage vortex on the planet. Anywhere that ocean currents meet will cause debris to accumulate. Much like in the Pacific there is a North Atlantic Gyre made up of four major currents – North Equatorial, Gulf Stream, North Atlantic, and Canary Current. There have not been many studies conducted on the Atlantic vortex, but there have been some conducted on the wildlife of the area and how the vortex affects them. (NOS) Clean up has become a hot button issue. Can such a large area of pollutants be cleaned up effectively? Which countries should foot the bill for such a massive endeavor? How can this floating island of debris be cleaned up? In early August, a two-ship expedition, The Kaisei Project, set out to study the field of debris and attempt to answer those questions. They will collect and study the debris, experiment with ways to clean up the debris without harming marine life, experiment with new recycling techniques in and around the vortex. (Walsh) Project Kaisei hopes to somehow assign value to that plastic. Technologies that convert plastic to fuel, clothing, or simply more profitable plastic could give people a good reason to pick up all that plastic and make a profit from it. (Handwerk) If successful, a full clean-up plan could be in place within 18 months. The world’s lack of recycling is fast becoming a global problem. At some point, someone will have to take the lead and start the massive project of cleaning up. Recycling is an option for many people, some cities require it. If everyone made the effort to recycle their plastic products we could, at least, stop this problem from getting bigger. Bring a coffee cup to work instead of using styrofoam, buy an aluminum water bottle instead of using the plastic bottle, bring cloth bags to carry your grocery items instead of using the plastic bags from the store. If this doesn’t happen and people do not start recycling their plastic products, our oceans will be entirely covered with floating plastic particles and completely toxic. There will be no swimming, no fishing or water sports. Something must be done to stop this rapid pollution of the oceans.

Works Cited
Handwerk, Brian. "Giant Ocean-Trash Vortex Attracts Explorers." National Geographic News. 31 July 2009. Web. 9 Aug. 2009. <http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/pf/68541809.html>.
Moore, Charles J., Shelly L. Moore, Molly K. Leecaster, and Stephen B. Weisberg. A comparison of plastic and plankton in the north pacific gyre. Publication. Web. 9 Aug. 2009. <http://www.alguita.com/gyre.pdf>.
Rep. Web. <http://www.alguita.com/gyre.pdf>.
Rios, Lorena M., Charles Moore, and Patrick Jones. "Persistent organic pollutants carried by synthetic polymers in the ocean environment." Marine Pollution Bulletin. Science Direct, Aug. 2007. Web. 9 Aug. 2009. <http://www.sciencedirect.com>.
United States. National Ocean Service. Web. 9 Aug. 2009. <http://marinedebris.noaa.gov/info/patch.html#1>.
Walsh, Bryan. "Expedition Sets Sail to the Great Plastic Vortex." Time. 1 Aug. 2009. Web. 9 Aug. 2009. <http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1914145,00.html>.