Great Pacific Garbage Patch

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, often called the Pacific Trash Vortex, is a large area of marine debris that extends from Japan to the West Coast of North America. The Eastern Garbage Patch is situated between the U.S. states of Hawaii and California, whereas the Western Garbage Patch is situated close to Japan. With 1.8 billion floating pieces of plastic, the eastern garbage patch, which is three times the size of France and the largest ocean waste dump in the world, kills thousands of marine animals every year (iberdrola.com).

The World Economic Forum estimates that between 75 and 199 million tons of plastic are already polluting our oceans (Cho, R. 2022). Because marine plastic pollution has an impact on fisheries, beaches, tourism, marine life, and our food supply, it may be costing the global economy trillions of dollars per year. The rubbish patch’s oldest item was made in the 1970s.

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is nicknamed the eighth continent.

Shipping boats are the primary perpetrator in this man-made catastrophe. Although a number of nations are to blame for the plastic thrown from commercial vessels, the top offenders include Japan, Mexico, Taiwan, China, Philippines, Canada, Chile, Columbia, Germany, Italy, South Korea, and Venezuela. Plastics from beaches that wash into the ocean are another source that contributes to the waste patch. Synthetic fishing nets make up half of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch’s mass, according to 2018 research.

An estimated 100,000 marine species are hurt, choked, or drown each year due to plastics. Eighty-four percent of plastics contain materials that are harmful to marine life. Plastics are divided into four categories: microplastics, mesoplastics, macroplastics, and megaplastics, which together account for 94% of the objects. The food that people eat is directly impacted by this. Through the food chain, microscopic plastic consumed by fish and other animals we eat makes its way into our bodies. Up to eight hundred species of fish, crabs, and mollusks may contain microplastics, according to a 2016 assessment by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations.

There may potentially be an underwater garbage patch on the seafloor below the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. About 70% of marine trash sinks to the ocean’s floor, according to new research by ecologists and oceanographers. Two factors explain why plastics make up most marine garbage. First, increased consumer and industrial products are using plastic because of its strength, affordability, and malleability. Second, plastic products disintegrate into tiny bits instead of degrading through biodegradation.

The Ecological Impact of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch

The ecological consequences of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch are far-reaching and alarming. Here are some of the major impacts it has on marine life and the environment:

1. Marine Life Entanglement: Plastic waste and abandoned fishing nets provide a serious threat to marine life. For a variety of animals, including sea turtles, seabirds, and marine mammals like seals and dolphins, getting entangled in these debris can result in wounds, amputations, and, in many cases, death.
2. Ingestion and Intoxication: Microplastics are the tiny fragments created when plastic debris degrades in the ocean. These microplastics are mistaken for food by marine species, who then consume them and suffer severe health consequences. The poisons found in plastics can build up in the food chain and eventually have an impact on human health as well.
3. Habitat Destruction: Plastic trash disrupts marine environments, upsetting the diversity and natural balance of marine ecosystems. Debris made of plastic poses a particular threat to coral reefs and other delicate environments.
4. Chemical Leaching: When plastics break down in the ocean, dangerous chemicals are released into the water. These substances have the potential to harm marine life, causing hormonal and reproductive system disruption.
5. Ocean Health: By affecting water quality, nitrogen cycling, and a number of ecological processes crucial to marine ecosystems, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch contributes to the overall deterioration of ocean health.

Efforts to Clean up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch

Due to the size of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, extensive, cooperative efforts are required to address the problem. The patch is being actively cleaned up and additional contamination is being avoided by a number of organizations, governments, and people. Here are a few noteworthy attempts:

1. The Ocean Cleanup: “The Ocean Cleanup,” established by Boyan Slat in 2013, is one of the most well-known programs to address the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. In this project, huge floating barriers with screens are used to collect and concentrate plastic garbage, making its removal easier.
2. Beach Cleanups: To keep plastic garbage from entering the ocean and to clear existing debris from coasts, numerous organizations and local communities organize beach clean-ups. These initiatives aid in lowering the amount of trash entering the gyre and increasing public awareness of ocean pollution.
3. Policy and Legislation: All throughout the world, governments are passing rules and regulations to encourage recycling and prevent plastic waste. Some of the solutions being used are restrictions on single-use plastics, expanded producer responsibility programs, and better waste management.
4. Technological Innovations: Innovative technology is continually being developed by researchers to alleviate ocean pollution. These developments, which range from biodegradable plastics to autonomous cleaning robots, offer hope for reducing the problem of the garbage patch.
5. Education and Awareness: Driving behavioral changes requires increasing public knowledge of plastic pollution and its effects on the environment. Public awareness raising initiatives and documentaries like “A Plastic Ocean” are beneficial.

Conclusion

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a massive environmental issue that needs the world’s attention right away and coordinated response. Given its extensive ecological effects, it is imperative to find long-term ways to decrease plastic waste and stop additional pollution. We can collectively address this threat and maintain the health of our seas for future generations by supporting projects, pushing for policy reforms, and implementing ethical consumer practices.

This site aims to draw attention to this man-made catastrophe, which spreads out of control on a daily basis. Please spend some time reading up on this ongoing disaster. I hope you found this blog to be both helpful and thought-provoking. To read fresh weekly blogs, please bookmark https://medium.com/@Reflections.on.Modern.Life

References

Cho, R. (2022, October 13). How do we clean up all that ocean plastic? Columbia University. Columbia Climate School: https://news.climate.columbia.edu/2022/10/13/how-do-we-clean-up-all-that-ocean-plastic/#:~:text=Collecting%20plastic%20from%20the%20oceans&text=Its%20more%20successful%20current%20iteration,the%20Great%20Pacific%20Garbage%20Patch.&text=Ocean%20Cleanup's%20system%20consists%20of,slowly%20towed%20by%20two%20ships.

https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/great-pacific-garbage-patch/

https://www.iberdrola.com/sustainability/plastic-island-in-pacific-eighth-continent#:~:text=Lying%20between%20California%20and%20Hawaii,of%20marine%20animals%20each%20year

The Ocean Cleanup — “The Great Pacific Garbage Patch”: https://theoceancleanup.com/great-pacific-garbage-patch/

UN Environment Programme (UNEP) — “Single-Use Plastics: A Roadmap for Sustainability”: https://www.unep.org/resources/report/single-use-plastics-roadmap-sustainability