When plastic enters our oceans, where does it end up? Well, there’s a fair chance it could be found in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch: the largest accumulation of ocean plastic in the world.
But despite the name, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch isn’t a visible ‘patch’ at all. Instead of a tangible island of rubbish you can walk across, it’s been described as more like a ‘murky soup’ that clouds the water.
Contrary to popular belief, it also cannot be seen from space.
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How large is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch?
According to the non-profit The Ocean Cleanup, The Great Pacific Garbage Patch covers an estimated surface area of 1.6 million square kilometres – an area more than twice the size of the US state of Texas.
Where is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch?
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is actually made up of the Western Garbage Patch (near Japan) and the Eastern Garbage Patch (between Hawaiʻi and California).
These are linked by the North Pacific Subtropical Convergence Zone, where warm water from the South Pacific meets with cooler Arctic water. This zone acts like a highway, moving plastic debris from one patch to another.
However, due to ocean currents and winds, the exact location of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is constantly changing with seasonal and interannual variations.
Why has so much rubbish accumulated there?
Garbage patches exist elsewhere in the world and are formed by rotating ocean currents called gyres. The gyres act in a similar way to whirlpools, pulling in plastic debris to their centre.
When did it first form?
While we don’t know exactly when the Great Pacific Garbage Patch was formed, it was discovered in 1997 by Captain Charles Moore, who was sailing from Hawaiʻi to California.
How much plastic does it contain?
A 2018 study estimated that the Great Pacific Garbage Patch contains more than 1.8 trillion pieces of plastic which weighs 100,000 tonnes (equivalent to the weight of more than 740 Boeing 777 twinjets).
Most of the plastics retrieved in the study were made up of hard or rigid polyethylene or polypropylene, or derelict fishing gear. However, in terms of total object count, 94% is represented by microplastics.
Top image: view of the ocean from California. Credit: Hiatt Zhao/500px/Getty Images
