The Great Pacific Garbage Patch

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP), the largest of the five offshore plastic accumulation zones in the world’s oceans, is located in the Pacific Ocean between Hawaii and California. However, the exact location and shape are constantly changing due to seasonal and interannual variabilities of winds and currents. The GPGP consists of the Western Garbage Patch and the Eastern Garbage Patch. In addition, the two areas are linked together by the North Pacific Subtropical Convergence Zone which acts as a highway that moves debris from one patch to another. The patch is a collection of marine debris, which is litter that ends up in oceans, seas, and other large bodies of water. It covers an estimated surface area of 1.6 million square kilometers, which is an area twice the size of Texas or three times the size of France. 

The GPGP is contained within a large system of swirling ocean currents called the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre. This gyre is formed by the California current, the North Equatorial current, the Kuroshio current, and the North Pacific current rotating clockwise around an area of 20 million square kilometers. The calm center draws and traps debris. 

As the plastic wastes are carried along, photodegradation causes the plastic to break down into tiny, nearly invisible bits. The accumulation of debris in GPGP persists because the wastes are not biodegradable. Plastic waste fragments into increasingly smaller microplastics over time rather than decomposing. Once becoming extremely small, they are difficult to remove and are often mistaken for good by marine species. Researchers who collected samples estimated that the GPGP was approximately 100,000 tonnes. After the plastics were collected, volunteers classified the plastic into 4 groups: type H, which include hard plastic, plastic sheet or film, type N, which include plastic lines, ropes, and fishing nets, type P, which include pre-production plastic, and type F, which include fragments made of foamed materials.

Works Cited

“Great Pacific Garbage Patch.” National Geographic Education, https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/great-pacific-garbage-patch/.

“The Great Pacific Garbage Patch.” The Ocean Cleanup, https://theoceancleanup.com/great-pacific-garbage-patch/.

Nathanson, Jerry A. “Water pollution | Definition, Causes, Effects, Solutions, Examples, Types, & Facts.” Britannica, 9 August 2024, https://www.britannica.com/science/water-pollution. Accessed 31 August 2024.

Stern, Ben. “New technology plans to tackle Great Pacific Garbage Patch.” The Cool Down, 6 November 2022, https://www.thecooldown.com/green-tech/great-pacific-garbage-patch-ocean-cleanup-jenny/.

“What is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch?” NOAA's National Ocean Service, 16 June 2024, https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/garbagepatch.html.