WHere is the garbage patch?
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is located between North America and Japan in the North Pacific Ocean as a result of littering mainly from its neighbouring countries. In the North Pacific Ocean in a gyre called the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre exists a garbage patch about twice the size of Texas. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch can be categorised into two patches: The Western Garbage Patch and the Eastern Garbage Patch. The Western Garbage Patch lies between the American states of Hawaii and California, while the Eastern Garbage Patch lies near Japan. The two patches are joined together by the North Pacific Subtropical Convergence Zone, a zone where the cool water from the Arctic ocean meets with the warm water of the Pacific Ocean.
Where does the garbage come from?
About 80% of the trash found in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch comes from land, meaning 20% of trash comes from ships at sea. “Common sense suggests that garbage in a particular area, for example the North Pacific, comes from countries that border that area. But…it’s more complicated than that…” (Salleh, 2014). While a majority of the garbage in the patch comes from its neighbouring continents, North America and Asia, ocean currents also carry garbage from around the Pacific Rim to the garbage patch. Garbage coming from land can enter the ocean for many reasons:
The other 20% of ocean trash comes from ships at sea. The causes for this are:
- A lot of plastics and other items are thrown away instead of being recycled
- Litter can wash into sewers, storm drains or streams which lead to the ocean
- People leave trash behind on the beach
The other 20% of ocean trash comes from ships at sea. The causes for this are:
- Fisherman (both recreational and commercial) sometimes lose or dispose of fishing nets and lines overboard
- Hundreds of shipping containers go overboard each year, these containers hold anything from thousands of shoes to millions of plastic bags. - This occurs on the shipping route between Asia and North America where “there are frequent, severe storms…” (EPA, 2012.)
- Rubbish from ships or boats can be dropped or blown overboard
- Oil platform spills