Captain charles moore was the first to notice the great pacific garbage patch in 1997. Whether inspired by the mediamongered myth or the frightening facts, the idea of the great pacific garbage patch has prompted people to take action. Massive boom hopes to corral pacific oceans plastic trash. The picture that comes to mind when thinking of the garbage patch is most likely quite close to this but in reality, this could not be further from the. No doubt youve heard of the great pacific garbage patch, the gargantuan accumulation of ocean debris that has grown from an estimated 3 million tons in the early 1990s to twice the size of texas in 2018. Somewhere in this mesh of information lies the first myth of the garbage patch. The great pacific garbage patch has been billed as a floating island of plastic debris, stretching out across an area of ocean the size of india. Education which have provided or contributed the content on this page. The pacific garbage patch, the popular name given to the trash that has accumulated in the. Have a little more faith in nature the natural system finds a way to use most everything in the case of oceanic plastics, as homes and food. The thing is, last year when a researcher at oregon state university pointed out that the great pacific garbage patch was neither a patch nor really comprised of garbage. The great pacific garbage patch has been billed as a floating island of plastic debris, stretching out across an area of ocean the size of india, a testament to mans abuse of the planet. Why should we care about the great pacific garbage patch.
Since his early childhood hed had a passion for sailing the oceans, but after discovering the garbage patch he was motivated to raise public awareness about plastic pollutants in the worlds oceans. As we would discover once we reached the gyre, the great pacific garbage patch doesnt actually look like muchunless youre paying attention. The great pacific garbage patch, also described as the pacific trash vortex, is a gyre of marine debris particles in the northcentral pacific ocean. In a mission to clean up trash floating in the ocean, environmentalists this month removed about 40 tonnes of abandoned fishing nets from an area known as the great pacific garbage patch. Perhaps one of the most horrific things about the great pacific garbage patch is that it is enormous in size. The great pacific garbage patch is huge the great pacific garbage patch how the great pacific garbage patch is chart great pacific garbage patch great. There are many garbage patches, and by that, we mean that trash congregates to various degrees in numerous parts of the pacific and the rest of the ocean. In discussing the great pacific garbage patch it is important to have a background of where it is, what it contains, how it accumulates and what it affects. Great pacific garbage patch there is great pacific garbage patch great pacific garbage patch myth pacific gyre and why should you care. Great pacific garbage patch national geographic society. Thats 15 times more than the worlds annual production of plastic. When you think of the great pacific garbage patch, you probably think about looking onto an ocean that is covered, as far as you can see, in plastic. They have heard that there is an area of oceanic garbage twice the size of texas that is forming a huge floating landmass of trash.
Ranging in size from small fragments to larger objects and metersized fishing nets. The worlds largest collection of ocean debris is also the most famous, but its name, the great pacific garbage patch, is a misnomer. In 1992, rubber duckies floated in the pacific when a ship lost tens. The number appeared to come from a 2008 quote from marcus eriksen, the. The mass of polyethylene terephthalate pet, the plastic from which most water bottles are made, required to create a twotexassized island just one foot thick is 9 trillion pounds. Talk of the great pacific garbage patch conjures up images of a huge. Moores interest in marine life and debris didnt begin after discovering the garage patch. Great pacific garbage patch is a myth, warn experts, as survey shows there is no rubbish island save a recent aerial survey found little evidence of an island of debris in the pacific. Although garbage patches have higher amounts of marine debris, theyre not islands of trash and you definitely cant walk on them. The garbage philosophy behind the great pacific garbage patch myth the myth of the great pacific garbage patch reveals the environmentalists willingness to lie for their cause. Posted in citizenship, environment, sustainable at 8. Scientists of the ocean cleanup have conducted the most extensive analysis ever of this area.
That the garbage actually constitutes more of a plastic soup than any kind of patch or island, and that its pollutants are, as a result, widely dispersed. Who out there has heard about the great pacific ocean garbage patch. History is made as pollution from great pacific garbage. The garbage philosophy behind the great pacific garbage.
The reality of the great pacific garbage patch waste360. Garbage patches are areas of increased concentration of marine debris that are formed from rotating ocean currents called gyres. This information is valuable, because owing to their remote locations there is still a lot scientists do not know about the great pacific garbage patch and other plastic accumulation zones. Youve probably heard of the pacific garbage patch, also called the trash vortex. Ocean cleanup hauls its first batch of plastic trash back. As he was crossing the north pacific subtropical gyre, moore, and his crew noticed millions of pieces of plastic surrounding his ship great pacific garbage patch, 2015. The 2,000foot long floating boom will be towed saturday, sept. The great pacific garbage patch is the size of texas and you can see it from space. In 1990, five shipping containers of nike sneakers and work boots were lost to the pacific in a storm. These natural gathering points appear where rotating currents, winds, and other ocean features converge to accumulate marine debris, as well as plankton, seaweed, and other sea life. Garbage patch as a giant floating island may be a myth, the reality is. Pacific gyre, about myths and realities of the pacific garbage patch. How are we dealing with the great pacific garbage patch.
The great pacific garbage patch myth by thomas lifson. Its name conjures up images of a floating landfill, with some reports claiming that this trash vortex is twice the size of texas. Blazetv staff no doubt youve heard of the great pacific garbage patch, the gargantuan accumulation of ocean debris that has grown from an estimated 3 million tons in the early 1990s to twice the size of texas in 2018. Have you ever wondered why you cant find a photo, video o. Because microplastics are smaller than a pencil eraser, they are not immediately noticeable to the naked eye. Some of this plastic gets concentrated, thanks to a circular current called a gyre, in a region known as the great pacific garbage patch. The great pacific garbage patch is a collection of marine debris in the north pacific ocean. Cleaning up the oceanic garbage patches factors affecting clean up cleaning up of the oceanic garbage patches will involve a great deal of time and expense. The great pacific garbage patch and the beach cleanup myth. These characterizations arent entirely accurate, but the reality is no less grim.
Although the myth of the great pacific garbage patch as a floating plastic island has been busted, the remaining facts are grim. The claim that the great pacific garbage patch covers 8. Debunking the myths about garbage patches response. Cleaning up the myths around the great pacific garbage patch. The truth is that this accumulation of plastic does not consist of a large island of plastic bottles, plastic bags and other discarded plastic debris. The garbage patch was discovered in the 90s and is a massive island.
Its a region of the north pacific ocean where the northern jet stream and the southern trade winds, moving. They can be very large, but since theyre made up primarily of microplastic debris, they definitely cant be seen from space. The great pacific garbage patch is a wellpublicized but littleunderstood phenomenon. The great pacific garbage patch was the myth we needed to. Three ways of looking at the great pacific garbage patch. The great pacific garbage patch is in the pacific ocean between hawaii and california.
The pacific garbage patch, the popular name given to the trash that has accumulated in the north pacific subtropical gyre, is one of several areas of highlyconcentrated marine debris located in the pacific ocean. No doubt youve heard of the great pacific garbage patch, the gargantuan accumulation of ocean debris that has grown from an estimated 3 million tons in the early 1990s to twice the size of. With such a global issue, a global solution must emerge. Experts warned this floating garbage collector wouldnt.
Missing from that myth is a key series of related facts. Lies youve been told about the pacific garbage patch. That we were so focused on finding the garbage patch in a concrete and spectacular form was tragicparticularly because it isnt a visually spectacular problem. I heard that the great pacific garbage patch is the size of texas and you can see it from space. For many people, the idea of a garbage patch conjures up images of an island of trash floating on the ocean. There are a few myths surrounding the great pacific garbage patch. It has now made history for collecting and recycling the first of the great pacific garbage patch pollution. A common misconception is that the great pacific garbage patch is a large swirling mass of plastic garbage floating around on the surface in the middle of the pacific ocean. The most publicized garbage patch is the great pacific garbage patch, located in the north pacific subtropical gyre in the northern pacific ocean. The great pacific garbage patch is the largest accumulation of ocean plastic in the world and is located between hawaii and california.
A floating behemoth of trash from our 21st century lifestyle. Of equal importance is examining some of the myths that perpetuate about the plastics in the ocean in regards to the great pacific garbage patch. The following are just a few of the strange items that have washed up on shores. The floating island of trash also referred to as, great pacific garbage patch. For noaa, a national science agency, separating science from science fiction about the pacific garbage patch. That the debris breaks down into microscopic pieces. Youve probably heard of the pacific garbage patch, also called the.
It is challenging to find both costeffective and environmentally safe methods to remove plastic waste from the oceans. The name pacific garbage patch has led many to believe that this area is a large and continuous patch of easily visible marine debris items such as bottles and other litterakin to a literal island of trash that should be visible with satellite. While some areas of the patch have more trash than others, much of the debris is made of microplastics by count. The floating rafts of plastic garbage version of the great pacific garbage patch is a pernicious myth that needs to be dispelled at every opportunity.
Instead, the garbage patch is composed of tiny plastic bits that linger unseen beneath the surface, ranging in size from a few square inches to barely visible specks. Marine debris is litter that ends up in the ocean, seas, and other large bodies of water. Three ocean basins are rife with plastics, marine organisms consume plastic instead of plankton, and toxins climb up the food chain to humans. The great pacific garbage patch gpgp is a major environmental problem, yet, in the context of the many warnings weve had over the last decade as to the damage we are doing to our planet, it. Great pacific garbage patch is a myth, warn experts, as. Great pacific garbage patch is a myth, warn experts, as survey. It would come to be known as the great pacific garbage patch, a term thats had great utility, but, again, suggests something other than whats out there. The first recorded sighting of the great pacific garbage patch was by oceanographer charles j. The ocean cleanup initiative that was created by a then dutch teenager, boyan slat, to collect plastic from the surface of the ocean without harming marine life. Boyan slat aims to rid the worlds oceans of garbage and hes starting with japan. Abandoned fishing nets pulled from pacific ocean in clean.
1102 732 1314 864 1100 17 78 559 1577 1462 1609 1533 1049 983 459 1230 1688 637 198 1366 1179 17 1592 586 1262 171 657 1243 19 1389 175 1334 214 1047 198 1455