The Great Pacific Garbage Patch

The Great Pacific Landfill Site (GPGP) is the largest of the five marine plastic clusters in the world ocean. It's between Hawaii and California

It is estimated that 15 million to 41 million tons of plastic flows from the river into the sea every year. Since more than half of plastic is lighter than water, it will not sink even if you go out into the sea.

Stronger and more buoyant plastics show elasticity in marine environments and allow them to be transported over longer distances. When they are offshore, they stay on the surface of the ocean, are carried by the converging flow, and eventually accumulate in the patch.

Once these plastics enter the circulation, they are less likely to leave the area until they are broken down into smaller microplasts under the influence of the sun, waves, and marine organisms. As more and more plastics are disposed of in the environment, the micro elasticity in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch will continue to increase.

The area of ​​GPGP is estimated to be 6 million square kilometers with twice the area of ​​Texas state and triple the area of ​​France.

To form this number, the team of scientists behind this study carried out the most elaborate sampling method.

This includes 30 fleets, 652 terrestrial networks, and two flying flights, collecting aerial photographs of debris.

Sampling at different locations during the same period allows for a more accurate estimation of the size of the patch and the plastic drift therein.

The position and shape of GPGP are constantly changing due to seasonal and yearly fluctuations of wind and ocean current. Only the floating matter which is influenced mainly by the current and not easily influenced by the wind remains in the patch.

By simulating the concentration level in the North Pacific Ocean, researchers were able to track the location of the plaque. And it showed important seasonal and yearly fluctuations. On average, the patch will operate close to 32 ° N and 145 ° W. However, the team observed a seasonal change from the west to the east and a significant change in latitude (north to south) according to the year.

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, also known as the Pacific Pacific Garbage Swirl, extends to the waters from North America's west coast to Japan. The patch actually consists of garbage patches in the west in the vicinity of Japan and a garbage patch in the eastern part between Hawaii and California. These rotating debris areas are connected by subtropical convergence zones in the North Pacific, located hundreds of kilometers north of Hawaii. It is a place where warm water from the South Pacific encounters cold water from the North Pole. This area is like an expressway that moves garbage from one patch to the other. The whole Great Pacific Garbage Patch is surrounded by the North Pacific subtropical circulation. The circulation of the ocean is a circular ocean current system formed by the wind pattern of the earth and the force generated by the rotation of the planet. These four currents move clockwise with an area of ​​20 million square kilometers (7.7 million square miles).

Big Pacific Garbage Patch is not the only one. Because there is another batch of garbage in the western Pacific, it is technically known as the East Pacific garbage patch. There is one patch in the South Pacific and the Indian Ocean, and two patches in the Atlantic Ocean. Several researchers oppose the word "patch". Because it means a lot of visible plastic. But in reality most of the garbage is hidden by small pieces under the surface.