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Great Pacific Garbage Patch
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Renowned for its pristine blue water, the Pacific Ocean is the world’s largest and deepest ocean. Yet a closer look beneath the surface reveals the sad truth that the Pacific is teeming with plastic trash.

The majority of this trash is located in an area known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Estimated to measure 1.6 million square kilometers, the patch sits at the center of enormous swirling ocean currents. As this gyre moves across the Pacific, it forms a circular spinning vortex which pulls trash toward the center. Once inside, the trash becomes trapped and accumulates over time.

Despite what it may sound like, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch does not actually look like a floating island of trash. In reality, the patch is made up of innumerable bits of tiny plastic pieces called microplastics. Since plastic is not biodegradable, these microplastics become smaller and smaller but never fully disappear. Instead, they create a toxic, cloudy soup that is harmful to marine life.

At present, scientists estimate that there are about 1.8 trillion pieces of plastic waste in the patch. Recent studies have shown that between 75 and 86 percent of the plastic comes from the fishing industries of China, Japan, and South Korea. The remaining trash reaches the ocean after being discarded into rivers or beaches.

Many scientists and international organizations have started working on innovative new technologies to clean up the trash. Among them, Dutch startup The Ocean Cleanup stands out for its groundbreaking Giant Pac-man device, a giant U-shaped barrier that traps and collects debris floating near the surface. However, many worry that there is simply too much trash.

In the meantime, a number of animal species have found ways to adapt to the trash. A study published in April found communities of invertebrates such as crabs and sea anemones thriving on pieces of plastic debris.

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