Tsunami debris washing up on US coast

Here is a link to an article that discusses how fast the gyre is pushing debris and garbage from the garbage patch onto the Hawaiian islands and the US coast.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/ed20111115a2.html

Updated Information

Here is a recent article about the state of the garbage patch.

http://www.care2.com/causes/update-on-the-great-pacific-garbage-patch-yes-its-still-there.html

Where will the debris from the tsunami in Japan end up???

http://esciencenews.com/articles/2011/04/06/where.will.debris.japans.tsunami.drift.ocean

This article describes how large peices of debris from Japan (buildings, boats, houses, cars) will be carried by ocean currents and land in Hawaii and in a couple of years end up on the coasts of the US and evetually end up in the garbage gyre.

Introduction to the Garbage Gyre

Characteristics
o Formed gradually as a result of marine pollution gathered by oceanic currents
o Large and stationary bound by the North Pacific Gyre, the gyre’s rotational pattern draws in waste material from across the North Pacific Ocean, including coastal waters off North America and Japan; wind driven surface currents gradually move floating debris towards the centre, trapping it in the region.
o Said to be twice as large as Texas

Science
o Currents carry debris from the west coast of North America to the gyre in about six years, and debris from the east coast of Asia in a year or less.
o Most debris is small plastic particles floating just below the surface so it is impossible to detect by aircraft or satellite
o Unlike debris, which biodegrades, the photo degraded plastic disintegrates into even smaller pieces while remaining a polymer; it is small enough to be ingested by aquatic organisms which reside near the ocean’s surface, therefore entering the food chain
o Some plastics decompose within a year of entering the water, leaching potentially toxic chemicals such as BPA, PCBs and derivatives of polystyrene
o Samples collected at deeper points in the water column found much lower levels of debris, confirming that most plastic waste concentrates in the upper water column

Testing
o Size is determined by sampling, estimates on size range from 700,000 square kms to more than 15,000,000 kms.
o There is no standard to tell what is “normal” or “elevated” levels of pollutants to provide a firm estimate

Effects on Wildlife
o Toxin-containing plastic pieces are eaten by many sea animals including jellyfish, which are eaten by larger fish, then consumed by humans, resulting in human ingestion of toxic chemicals
o Marine plastics also facilitate the spread of invasive species that attach to floating plastic in one region and drift long distances to colonize other ecosystems
o Research shows that this plastic marine debris affects at least 267 species worldwide and only a few of the species reside in the North Pacific Gyre

Recycling/Cleanup
o April 2008, Richard Sundance Owen, a building contractor and scuba dive instructor, formed the Environmental Cleanup Coalition to address the issue of North Pacific Pollution.
o Many companies are researching the patch to determine the feasibility of commercial scale collection and recycling
o Many websites and groups using the Garbage Patch to promote recycling and the disuse of disposable plastics

"Trashed"

Freakonomics Radio

Podcast about garbage called "Trashed" by Stephen J. Dubner.

You can find it in the iTunes Store for FREE, just search Freakonomics Radio scroll down and look for the podcast titled "Trashed"(number 15 on the list).

OR

http://freakonomicsradio.com/trashed.html

Stephen talks to Captain Moore who discovered the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in 1997. The two talk about the discovery and what it means for the environment.

The 3 Rs

Garbage = YUCK!

What is the Pacific Garbage Gyre?

• The Pacific Garbage Gyre formed gradually as a result of marine pollution gathered by oceanic currents.
• Large and stationary bound by the North Pacific Gyre, the gyre's rotational pattern draws in waste material from across the North Pacific Ocean, including ciastal waters off North America and Japan; wind driven surface currents gradually move floating debris towards the centre, trapping it in the region.
• Estimated to be twice the size of Texas. Can be debated as some have said that it is twice the size of the continental USA.