Download Great Pacific Garbage Patch

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GreatPacificGarbagePatch
PacificTrashVortex
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TheGreatPacificGarbagePatchisacollectionofmarinedebrisintheNorthPacificOcean.Marinedebrisislitterthatends
upinoceans,seas,andotherlargebodiesofwater.
TheGreatPacificGarbagePatch,alsoknownasthePacifictrashvortex,spanswatersfromtheWestCoastofNorth
AmericatoJapan.ThepatchisactuallycomprisedoftheWesternGarbagePatch,locatednearJapan,andtheEastern
GarbagePatch,locatedbetweentheU.S.statesofHawaiiandCalifornia.
TheseareasofspinningdebrisarelinkedtogetherbytheNorthPacificSubtropicalConvergenceZone,locatedafewhundred
kilometersnorthofHawaii.ThisconvergencezoneiswherewarmwaterfromtheSouthPacificmeetsupwithcoolerwater
fromtheArctic.Thezoneactslikeahighwaythatmovesdebrisfromonepatchtoanother.
TheentireGreatPacificGarbagePatchisboundedbytheNorthPacificSubtropicalGyre.Anoceangyreisasystemof
circularoceancurrentsformedbytheEarth’swindpatternsandtheforcescreatedbytherotationoftheplanet.TheNorth
PacificSubtropicalGyreiscreatedbytheinteractionoftheCalifornia,NorthEquatorial,Kuroshiro,andNorthPacific
currents.Thesefourcurrentsmoveinaclockwisedirectionaroundanareaof20millionsquarekilometers(7.7millionsquare
miles).
Theareainthecenterofagyretendstobeverycalmandstable.Thecircularmotionofthegyredrawsdebrisintothisstable
center,whereitbecomestrapped.AplasticwaterbottlediscardedoffthecoastofCalifornia,forinstance,takesthe
CaliforniaCurrentsouthtowardMexico.There,itmaycatchtheNorthEquatorialCurrent,whichcrossesthevastPacific.
NearthecoastofJapan,thebottlemaytravelnorthonthepowerfulKuroshiroCurrent.Finally,thebottletravelswestwardon
theNorthPacificCurrent.ThegentlyrollingvortexesoftheEasternandWesternGarbagePatchesgraduallydrawinthe
bottle.
TheamountofdebrisintheGreatPacificGarbagePatchaccumulatesbecausemuchofitisnotbiodegradable.Many
plastics,forinstance,donotweardown;theysimplybreakintotinierandtinierpieces.
Formanypeople,theideaofa“garbagepatch”conjuresupimagesofanislandoftrashfloatingontheocean.Inreality,
thesepatchesarealmostentirelymadeupoftinybitsofplastic,calledmicroplastics.Microplasticscan’talwaysbeseenby
thenakedeye.Evensatelliteimagerydoesn’tshowagiantpatchofgarbage.ThemicroplasticsoftheGreatPacificGarbage
Patchcansimplymakethewaterlooklikeacloudysoup.Thissoupisintermixedwithlargeritems,suchasfishinggearand
shoes.
TheseafloorbeneaththeGreatPacificGarbagePatchmayalsobeanunderwatertrashheap.Oceanographersand
ecologistsrecentlydiscoveredthatabout70%ofmarinedebrisactuallysinkstothebottomoftheocean.
WhileoceanographersandclimatologistspredictedtheexistenceoftheGreatPacificGarbagePatch,itwasaracingboat
captainbythenameofCharlesMoorewhoactuallydiscoveredthetrashvortex.MoorewassailingfromHawaiitoCalifornia
aftercompetinginayachtingrace.CrossingtheNorthPacificSubtropicalGyre,Mooreandhiscrewnoticedmillionsof
piecesofplasticsurroundinghisship.
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MarineDebris
NooneknowshowmuchdebrismakesuptheGreatPacificGarbagePatch.TheNorthPacificSubtropicalGyreistoolarge
forscientiststotrawl.Inaddition,notalltrashfloatsonthesurface.Denserdebriscansinkcentimetersorevenseveral
metersbeneaththesurface,makingthevortex’sareanearlyimpossibletomeasure.
About80%ofthedebrisintheGreatPacificGarbagePatchcomesfromland-basedactivitiesinNorthAmericaandAsia.
TrashfromthecoastofNorthAmericatakesaboutsixyearstoreachtheGreatPacificGarbagePatch,whiletrashfrom
JapanandotherAsiancountriestakesaboutayear.
Theremaining20%ofdebrisintheGreatPacificGarbagePatchcomesfromboaters,offshoreoilrigs,andlargecargoships
thatdumporlosedebrisdirectlyintothewater.Themajorityofthisdebris—about705,000tons—isfishingnets.More
unusualitems,suchascomputermonitorsandLEGOs,comefromdroppedshippingcontainers.
Whilemanydifferenttypesoftrashentertheocean,plasticsmakeupthemajorityofmarinedebrisfortworeasons.First,
plastic’sdurability,lowcost,andmalleabilitymeanthatit’sbeingusedinmoreandmoreconsumerandindustrialproducts.
Second,plasticgoodsdonotbiodegradebutinsteadbreakdownintosmallerpieces.
Intheocean,thesunbreaksdowntheseplasticsintotinierandtinierpieces,aprocessknownasphotodegradation.
Scientistshavecollectedupto750,000bitsofmicroplasticinasinglesquarekilometeroftheGreatPacificGarbagePatch—
that’sabout1.9millionbitspersquaremile.Mostofthisdebriscomesfromplasticbags,bottlecaps,plasticwaterbottles,
andStyrofoamcups.
Marinedebriscanbeveryharmfultomarinelifeinthegyre.Forinstance,loggerheadseaturtlesoftenmistakeplasticbags
forjellies,theirfavoritefood.Albatrossesmistakeplasticresinpelletsforfisheggsandfeedthemtochicks,whichdieof
starvationorrupturedorgans.
Sealsandothermarinemammalsareespeciallyatrisk.Theycangetentangledinabandonedplasticfishingnets,whichare
beingdiscardedmoreoftenbecauseoftheirlowcost.Sealsandothermammalsoftendrownintheseforgottennets—a
phenomenonknownas“ghostfishing.”
MarinedebriscanalsodisturbmarinefoodwebsintheNorthPacificSubtropicalGyre.Asmicroplasticsandothertrash
collectonornearthesurfaceoftheocean,theyblocksunlightfromreachingplanktonandalgaebelow.Algaeandplankton
arethemostcommonautotrophs,orproducers,inthemarinefoodweb.Autotrophsareorganismsthatcanproducetheirown
nutrientsfromoxygen,carbon,andsunlight.
Ifalgaeandplanktoncommunitiesarethreatened,theentirefoodwebmaychange.Animalsthatfeedonalgaeandplankton,
suchasfishandturtles,willhavelessfood.Ifpopulationsofthoseanimalsdecrease,therewillbelessfoodforapex
predatorssuchastuna,sharks,andwhales.Eventually,seafoodbecomeslessavailableandmoreexpensiveforpeople.
Thesedangersarecompoundedbythefactthatplasticsbothleachoutandabsorbharmfulpollutants.Asplasticsbreak
downthroughphotodegradation,theyleachoutcolorantsandchemicals,suchasbisphenolA(BPA),thathavebeenlinkedto
environmentalandhealthproblems.Conversely,plasticscanalsoabsorbpollutants,suchasPCBs,fromtheseawater.
Thesechemicalscanthenenterthefoodchainwhenconsumedbymarinelife.
PatchingUpthePatch
BecausetheGreatPacificGarbagePatchissofarfromanycountry’scoastline,nonationwilltakeresponsibilityorprovide
thefundingtocleanitup.CharlesMoore,themanwhodiscoveredthevortex,sayscleaningupthegarbagepatchwould
“bankruptanycountry”thattriedit.
Manyindividualsandinternationalorganizations,however,arededicatedtopreventingthepatchfromgrowing.
Cleaningupmarinedebrisisnotaseasyasitsounds.Manymicroplasticsarethesamesizeassmallseaanimals,sonets
designedtoscoopuptrashwouldcatchthesecreaturesaswell.Evenifwecoulddesignnetsthatwouldjustcatchgarbage,
thesizeoftheoceansmakesthisjobfartootime-consumingtoconsider.TheNationalOceanandAtmospheric
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Administration’sMarineDebrisProgramhasestimatedthatitwouldtake67shipsoneyeartocleanuplessthanonepercent
oftheNorthPacificOcean.
ManyexpeditionshavetraveledthroughtheGreatPacificGarbagePatch.CharlesMoore,whodiscoveredthepatchin1997,
continuestoraiseawarenessthroughhisownenvironmentalorganization,theAlgalitaMarineResearchFoundation.Duringa
2014expedition,Mooreandhisteamusedaerialdrones,toassessfromabovetheextentofthetrashbelow.Thedrones
determinedthatthereis100timesmoreplasticbyweightthanpreviouslymeasured.Theteamalsodiscoveredmore
permanentplasticfeatures,orislands,someover15meters(50feet)inlength.
AllthefloatingplasticintheGreatPacificGarbagePatchinspiredNationalGeographicEmergingExplorerDavidde
RothschildandhisteamatAdventureEcologytocreatealargecatamaranmadeofplasticbottles:thePlastiki.The
sturdinessofthePlastikidisplayedthestrengthanddurabilityofplastics,thecreativewaysthattheycanberepurposed,and
thethreattheyposetotheenvironmentwhentheydon’tdecompose.In2010,thecrewsuccessfullynavigatedthePlastiki
fromSanFrancisco,California,toSydney,Australia.
Scientistsandexplorersagreethatlimitingoreliminatingouruseofdisposableplasticsandincreasingouruseof
biodegradableresourceswillbethebestwaytocleanuptheGreatPacificGarbagePatch.OrganizationssuchasthePlastic
PollutionCoalitionandthePlasticOceansFoundationareusingsocialmediaanddirectactioncampaignstosupport
individuals,manufacturers,andbusinessesintheirtransitionfromtoxic,disposableplasticstobiodegradableorreusable
materials.
VOCABULARY
Term
PartofSpeech
Definition
abandon
verb
todesertorleaveentirely.
absorb
verb
tosoakup.
accumulate
verb
togatherorcollect.
aerial
adjective
existing,moving,growing,oroperatingintheair.
algae
pluralnoun
(singular:alga)diversegroupofaquaticorganisms,thelargestofwhichare
seaweeds.
apexpredator
noun
speciesatthetopofthefoodchain,withnopredatorsofitsown.Alsocalledan
alphapredatorortoppredator.
Arctic
noun
regionatEarth'sextremenorth,encompassedbytheArcticCircle.
assess
verb
toevaluateordeterminetheamountof.
autotroph
noun
organismthatcanproduceitsownfoodandnutrientsfromchemicalsinthe
atmosphere,usuallythroughphotosynthesisorchemosynthesis.
available
adjective
readyforuse.
bankrupt
verb
tocauseapersonororganizationtolosetheirmoneyorotherfundingand
resources.
biodegradable
adjective
abletodecomposenaturally.
bisphenolA
(BPA)
noun
chemicalusedtomakesometypesofplasticthatmaybeunsafeforpeople,
especiallyinfants.
bound
verb
tolimitorconfine.
business
noun
saleofgoodsandservices,oraplacewheresuchsalestakeplace.
cargo
noun
goodscarriedbyaship,plane,orothervehicle.
catamaran
noun
sailingvesselmadeoftwolargeflotationdevicesandaframeabovethem.
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climatologist
noun
personwhostudieslong-termpatternsinweather.
coast
noun
edgeoflandalongtheseaorotherlargebodyofwater.
compound
verb
tocombineorputtogether.
comprise
verb
tocontainorbemadeupof.
conjure
verb
toimagineorbringtomind.
consume
verb
touseup.
consumer
noun
personwhousesagoodorservice.
convergence
zone
noun
areawhereprevailingwindsfromdifferentareasmeetandinteract.
current
noun
steady,predictableflowoffluidwithinalargerbodyofthatfluid.
current
noun
steady,predictableflowoffluidwithinalargerbodyofthatfluid.
debris
noun
remainsofsomethingbrokenordestroyed;waste,orgarbage.
decompose
verb
todecayorbreakdown.
decrease
verb
tolower.
dedicate
verb
tosincerelydevotetimeandefforttosomething.
dense
adjective
havingpartsormoleculesthatarepackedcloselytogether.
discard
verb
tothrowaway.
discover
verb
tolearnorunderstandsomethingforthefirsttime.
dispose
verb
tothrowawayorgetridof.
drone
noun
unmannedaircraftthatcanbeguidedremotely.
durability
noun
abilitytoresistwearanddecay.
ecologist
noun
scientistwhostudiestherelationshipsbetweenorganismsandtheir
environments.
Emerging
Explorer
noun
anadventurer,scientist,innovator,orstorytellerrecognizedbyNational
Geographicfortheirvisionaryworkwhilestillearlyintheircareers.
entangle
noun
totangleortwisttogether.
environment
noun
conditionsthatsurroundandinfluenceanorganismorcommunity.
estimate
verb
toguessbasedonknowledgeofthesituationorobject.
expedition
noun
journeywithaspecificpurpose,suchasexploration.
expensive
adjective
verycostly.
explorer
noun
personwhostudiesunknownareas.
extent
noun
degreeorspacetowhichathingextends.
foodchain
noun
groupoforganismslinkedinorderofthefoodtheyeat,fromproducersto
consumers,andfromprey,predators,scavengers,anddecomposers.
foodweb
noun
allrelatedfoodchainsinanecosystem.Alsocalledafoodcycle.
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funding
noun
moneyorfinances.
ghostfishing
noun
continuedtrappingandkillingofmarinelifebyadiscardedfishingnetfloatingat
sea
GreatPacific
GarbagePatch
noun
areaoftheNorthPacificOceanwherecurrentshavetrappedhugeamountsof
debris,mostlyplastics.
harmful
adjective
damaging.
highway
noun
largepublicroad.
industrial
adjective
havingtodowithfactoriesormechanicalproduction.
international
organization
noun
unitmadeupofgovernmentsorgroupsindifferentcountries,usuallyfora
specificpurpose.
island
noun
bodyoflandsurroundedbywater.
leach
verb
toseparatematerialsbyrunningwateroranotherliquidthroughthem.
litter
noun
trashorotherscatteredobjectsleftinanopenareaornaturalhabitat.
malleability
noun
degreetowhichsomethingcanbeshapedormolded.
manufacture
verb
tomakeorproduceagood,usuallyforsale.
marine
adjective
havingtodowiththeocean.
marinedebris
noun
garbage,refuse,orotherobjectsthatenterthecoastaloroceanenvironment.
marinemammal
noun
ananimalthatlivesmostofitslifeintheoceanbutbreathesairandgivesbirthto
liveyoung,suchaswhalesandseals.
measure
verb
todeterminethenumericvalueofsomething,oftenincomparisonwithsomething
else,suchasadeterminedstandardvalue.
microplastic
noun
pieceofplasticbetween0.3and5millimetersindiameter.
navigate
verb
toplananddirectthecourseofajourney.
nutrient
noun
substanceanorganismneedsforenergy,growth,andlife.
ocean
noun
largebodyofsaltwaterthatcoversmostoftheEarth.
oceangyre
noun
anareaofoceanthatslowlyrotatesinanenormouscircle.
oceanographer
noun
personwhostudiestheocean.
offshore
adjective
havingtodowithfacilitiesorresourceslocatedunderwater,usuallymilesfrom
thecoast.
oilrig
noun
complexseriesofmachineryandsystemsusedtodrillforoilonland.
organ
noun
groupoftissuesthatperformaspecializedtask.
organism
noun
livingoronce-livingthing.
PCB
noun
(polychlorinatedbiphenal)chemicalsubstancethatcanoccurnaturallyorbe
manufacturedthatmaycausecancer.
pellet
noun
small,roundedobject.
phenomenon
noun
anunusualactoroccurrence.
photodegradation
noun
processbywhichasubstanceisbrokendownbyexposuretolight.
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planet
noun
large,sphericalcelestialbodythatregularlyrotatesaroundastar.
plankton
pluralnoun
(singular:plankton)microscopicaquaticorganisms.
plastic
noun
chemicalmaterialthatcanbeeasilyshapedwhenheatedtoahightemperature.
Plastiki
noun
(2009)sailingvesselmadepartlyofplasticwaterbottlesusedtotravelfromSan
Francisco,California,toSydney,Australia.
pollutant
noun
chemicalorothersubstancethatharmsanaturalresource.
population
noun
totalnumberofpeopleororganismsinaparticulararea.
predict
verb
toknowtheoutcomeofasituationinadvance.
prevent
verb
tokeepsomethingfromhappening.
previous
adjective
earlier,ortheonebefore.
producer
noun
personororganizationthatcreates(produces)goodsandservices.
resin
noun
clear,stickysubstanceproducedbysomeplants.
responsibility
noun
beingaccountableandreliableforanactionorsituation.
rotation
noun
object'scompleteturnarounditsownaxis.
rupture
verb
tobreakortear.
satelliteimagery
noun
photographsofaplanettakenbyorfromasatellite.
sea
noun
largepartoftheoceanenclosedorpartlyenclosedbyland.
seafloor
noun
surfacelayerofthebottomoftheocean.
seafood
noun
fishandshellfishconsumedbyhumans.
shipping
noun
transportationofgoods,usuallybylargeboat.
stable
adjective
steadyandreliable.
starvation
noun
dyingfromlackoffood.
threaten
verb
toscareorbeasourceofdanger.
toxic
adjective
poisonous.
transition
noun
movementfromonepositiontoanother.
travel
noun
movementfromoneplacetoanother.
trawl
verb
tofishbydraggingalargenetalongthebottomofthebodyofwater.
vortex
noun
columnofrotatingfluid,suchasair(wind)orwater.
WestCoast
noun
PacificcoastoftheUnitedStates,usuallyexcludingAlaska.
wind
noun
movementofair(fromahighpressurezonetoalowpressurezone)causedby
theunevenheatingoftheEarthbythesun.
yachting
noun
sportofracinglargesailingvessels.
ForFurtherExploration
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Articles&Profiles
NOAA:MarineDebris—De-mystifyingthe‘GreatPacificGarbagePatch’
Audio
NOAA:TheGreatPacificGarbagePatch
Images
NationalGeographicNews:GiantOceanTrashVortexDocumented
Video
SchoolTube:TheGreatPacificGarbagePatch—GoodMorningAmerica
TEDx:GreatPacificGarbagePatch
Websites
ThePlastikiExpedition
AlgalitaMarineResearchFoundation
©1996–2015NationalGeographicSociety.Allrightsreserved.
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