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