Rubbish is floated into the sea and these animals have suffered from our mistakes and because of us. The great pacific garbage patch has been billed as a floating island of plastic debris, stretching out across an area of ocean the size of india, a testament to mans abuse of the planet. Its called the great pacific garbage patch and it covers a vast area of hundreds, maybe even thousands, of miles of open ocean. Pacific garbage patch, largest collection of ocean trash. The worlds largest collection of ocean garbage is growing. Despite the absence of floating masses of large plastic pieces, the garbage patch actually exists but is more like a garbage soup. Second garbage patch discovered in the south pacific. Adrev for a 3rd party on behalf of track distillery waterdrop music megatrax. Thousands of miles away from civilization, midway atoll is in one of the most remote places on earth. There are three main parts of the documentary that i want to discuss. Great pacific garbage patch threat to marine life youtube. Effects of plastic and the great pacific garbage patch.
The great pacific garbage patch is a collection of marine debris in the north pacific ocean. It is estimated to cover a surface area twice the size of. This indicates that oceanic plasticbound pbts pose a health risk to organisms ingesting these floating plastics. These gyres are circling currents that can trap particles floating in them and push them. Its not a floating island of trash, like a garbage dump or a landfill. Much of this debris are human wastes ranging from plastics, toys, cigarette buds, and almost anything imaginable. According to the national geographic about 80 percent of the debris in the great pacific garbage patch comes from landbased activities in north america and asia and the other 20 percent comes.
The great pacific garbage patch gpgp is an intriguing and publicized environmental problem. We are killing animals and we are not going to take them in and use or eat them because we dont know that they have been killed. Based on the related current researches, this disquisition is focused on the problem of plastic debris in the great pacific ocean garbage patch. Some of this debris are fishing nets left by fishermen, many of them used for bottom trawling. Large garbage patch floating in the pacific ocean 02. How the garbage patch accumulated about 80 percent of the plastic trash that makes up the great pacific garbage patch originated from landbased activities occurring in. From three aspectsthe extent, density and distribution, this disquisition made a research on the current situation of the serious problem, and then put forward a quantitative model of the weight of plastic debris in the pacifi ocean gyre. Heartwrenching facts about the great pacific garbage patch. Debunking the myths about garbage patches response. Around 84% of our plastic samples had at least one pbt chemical with concentrations exceeding safe levels. A personal journey into the pacific garbage patch slide show more plastic in the oceans, found at greater depths than thought, would mean a bigger threat to environmentaland.
Great pacific garbage patch is a myth, warn experts, as. The patch is actually comprised of the western garbage patch, located near japan. The great pacific garbage patch, also known as the pacific trash vortex, spans waters from the west coast of north america to japan. The problem of plastic and other accumulated trash affects beaches and oceans all over the world, including at both poles. The great pacific garbage patch explained research the. Land masses that end up in the path of the rotating gyres. In this episode, dianna parker from the noaa marine debris program explains what a garbage patch is and isnt, what we know and dont know, and what we can do about this oceansized problem. Plastic, ahoy investigating the great pacific garbage. And yet its become ground zero for the great pacific garbage patch, syphoning plastics from three distant continents. Scientists of the ocean cleanup foundation have conducted the most extensive analysis ever of this area. A garbage patch is made up of tiny plastic pieces called microplastics that are less than 5 millimeters long. This is what its like to swim through the great pacific.
A patch is identified for containing a higher amount of plastic compared to the surrounding oceans. The problem relates to materials science and the advent of. The great pacific garbage patch garbage patch is an area in the north pacific ocean, roughly between san francisco and hawaii, where currents converge and collect debris, mainly various types of plastics. The great pacific garbage patch is one of five gyres, or vortexes, where currents have concentrated debris that has ended up in the ocean. We reported concentrations of 59 types of pbts in ocean plastics collected at the center of the great pacific garbage patch. Great pacific garbage patch national geographic society. Check out a spectacular video below filmed at the midway atoll in the middle of the pacific ocean, showing the effects of manmade garbage on where they live, 1,200 miles away from civilization. It is located halfway between hawaii and california. Albatross birds are dying, in huge numbers from mistaking our garbage for food. The great pacific garbage patch, a collection of plastic, floating trash halfway between hawaii and california, has grown to. The great pacific garbage patch, or the pacific trash vortex, is an endless stream of garbage debris that can be found between the states of hawaii and california, and from eastern japan to west hawaii. In this independent documentary film, journalistfilmmaker angela sun travels on a personal journey of discovery to uncover.
Great pacific garbage patch simple english wikipedia. Isnt it an irony that the worlds biggest garbage dump is located in the worlds biggest ocean. Garbage patches are large areas of marine debris concentration that are formed by rotating ocean currents called gyres kind of like big whirlpools that suck things in. The great pacific garbage patch effects sustainability because we are taking animals lives accidentally. The great pacific garbage patch is the size of texas and you can see it from space. The great pacific garbage patch, also known as the pacific trash vortex is a gyre of oceanic debris, located in the centre of the north pacific ocean between 5w to 155w and 35n and 42n. The great pacific garbage patch is one of many areas in the ocean where marine debris naturally concentrates because of ocean currents. Vice sails to the north pacific gyre, collecting point for all of the oceans flotsam and home of the great pacific garbage patch.
The great pacific garbage patch, also described as the pacific trash vortex, is a gyre of marine debris particles in the northcentral pacific ocean. How ocean plastics turn into a dangerous meal updates. Using the scientific method, the team conducted many experiments. Captain moore, posing with a water sample taken from the great garbage patch. The great pacific garbage patch floating in the north pacific is the result of ocean currents called gyres. Besides killing wildlife, plastic and other debris damage boat and submarine equipment, litter beaches, discourage swimming and harm commercial and local fisheries. Causes plastic and more plastic the pacific ocean garbage patch stretches hundreds of miles across the north pacific ocean. The garbage patch is created by the north pacific gyre. The patch is located in the north pacific ocean and is made up of huge concentrations of plastic waste and sludge. The great pacific garbage patch is a big patch of garbage and debris in the middle of the northern pacific ocean.
Ocean garbage patch could be bigger than mexico cnn video. The great pacific garbage patch is the largest accumulation of ocean plastic in the world and is located between hawaii and california. The great pacific garbage patch lesson teachengineering. See more ideas about great pacific garbage patch, patches and marine debris. In a classic example of garbageingarbageout, scientists have recently discovered yet another floating trash patch, this time in the south pacific. The great pacific garbage patch, a swirling gyre of discarded plastics in the middle of the pacific ocean, between hawaii and california, already contains more than 87,000 tons of plastic. The film is currently in postproduction but heres a look at its heartbreaking trailer. The existence of a garbage patch was actually predicted by the national oceanic and atmospheric association in 1988 after years of studying the.
The great pacific garbage patch exists in the northern pacific ocean, stretching between japan and the united states. Its also called the great pacific garbage patch, the pacific trash gyre, and the pacific trash vortex. Since the garbage patches are constantly moving and mixing with winds and ocean currents, their size continuously changes. Marine debris is litter that ends up in oceans, seas, and other large bodies of water.
Angela suns journey of discovery to one of the most remote places on earth, midway atoll, to uncover the truth behind the mystery of the great pacific garbage patch. Plastic paradise, a documentary about the great pacific. These plastic materials trap aquatic life and poison them by physical blockage or as carriers of toxic pollutants. Blue water meets blue skies, each reflecting the others pure, infinite depths. Case study great pacific garbage patch the trash islands. The collection of plastic and floating trash originates from the pacific rim, including countries in asia, north america, and south america. Great pacific garbage patch puts fish on plastic diet. The great pacific garbage patch, i am arguing that we as humans should be aware of the big problem we are causing to the environment, many people dont even know this garbage patch that our ocean. Its located in the central north pacific ocean between hawaii and california and is thought to have been discovered by charles moore, an oceanographer, when sailing through the rarelyvisited area on the way back from a sailing competition. A research team has discovered a garbage patch in the south pacific ocean estimated to be bigger than mexico. Scientists find another pacific garbage patch great.
The great pacific garbage patch is hundreds of miles long. They exist all throughout the ocean, and the pacific garbage patch just happens to be the most famous. It is an intense concentration of marine trash that exists between hawaii and california. The great pacific garbage patch started, i thought i would be learning about the great garbage patch, an area of the pacific ocean filled with plastic and other waste approximately the size of texas, but it really taught that plastics are everywhere. It formed because currents near the center of the northern pacific ocean move around in a kind of circle, which catches and holds floating pieces of plastic. The pacific patch is located in the central north pacific ocean and is approximated to be larger than the state of texas. They can be very large, but since theyre made up primarily of microplastic debris, they definitely cant be seen from space. The great pacific garbage patch simulation the great pacific garbage is a collection of debris and trash, mostly plastic, found in the north central pacific ocean between the hawaiian islands and california, approximately 1,000 miles from either location. Celebrating prezi s teacher community for teacher appreciation week. We recently wrote about midway, a film that also focuses on the midway atoll. The great pacific garbage patch is an upcoming independent documentary film by docujournalist angela sun that focuses on the ecoissue of the great pacific garbage patch at the midway atoll. The biggest one is known as the great pacific garbage patch, or the pacific trash vortex. How the great pacific garbage patch is destroying the.
This swirling soup of trash up to 10 meters deep and just below the water surface is composed mainly of nondegradable plastics. Its more like pepper flakes swirling in a soup than something you can skim off the surface. It occupies a relatively stationary region of the north pacific ocean bounded by the north pacific gyre in the horse latitudes. The great pacific garbage patch gpgp is the largest of the five offshore plastic accumulation zones in the worlds oceans. A gyre is a system of circulating currents in an ocean, caused by the coriolis.
1150 1457 525 1122 158 1250 153 1290 242 560 884 1382 1158 1028 933 1401 993 596 361 1423 1036 470 694 1324 1416 252 59 397 639 196 1329 851 813 1476 1030 91 1123 1315 661 25 626 50 1268