The Great Pacific Garbage Patch
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, also described as the Pacific Trash Vortex, is a gyre of marine litter in the central North Pacific Ocean located roughly between 135° to 155°W and 35° to 42°N. Most current estimates state that it is larger than the U.S. state of Texas, with some estimates claiming that it is larger than the continental United States, however the exact size is not known for sure. The patch is not easily visible because it consists of very small pieces, almost invisible to the naked eye, most of its contents are suspended beneath the surface of the ocean.
The patch is made up of human made litter - mostly plastics Pollutants range in size from abandoned fishing nets to micro-pellets used in abrasive cleaners. It comes from land sources and from ships and is trapped in the gyre. 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. The garbage, most of which contains toxins, usually ends up in stomachs of marine birds, other animals and sea creatures.
The patch would be almost impossible to clean up, and it is growing every day. On top of that, most people are not even aware it exists.
