The Pacific Ocean: Home to the World’s Largest Landfill

In the broad expanse of the North Pacific Ocean there exists a slow moving, clockwise spiral of currants created by a high-pressure system of air currents known as a Gyre.  The area is home to phytoplankton but no larger species of fish or mammals.

Because the area is almost completely uninhabited it is rarely travelled by fisherman and is known as an oceanic desert.  There is, however, something to be found in this large stretch of water and that is garbage.

Collecting trash from around the globe, the Gyre has created two large masses of ever-accumulating trash known as the Eastern and Western Pacific Garbage Patches.  The Eastern patch floats on top of the water between Hawaii and California and is estimated to be twice the size of the state of Texas.  The Western mass of garbage forms between Japan and Hawaii and both are connected by a 6000 mile long current known as the subtropical convergence zone which also accumulates trash. Despite the size and density the North Pacific Patch is not visible from satellite photography.

The patch was predicted in 1988 when in a paper published by The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States.  Researches also predicted that similar conditions would occur in other areas where prevailing currents were favourable to stable bodies of water.

These patches cause huge risks to the marine life, fishing and tourism; 90% of garbage floating in our oceans is plastic and the Gyre is no exception.  Marine life becomes entangled in the trash and beaches are littered with countless articles tossed onto their sands by the Gyre. “The floating plastic particles resemble zooplankton, which can be inadvertently consumed by jellyfish. Many of these long-lasting plastics end up in the stomachs of marine birds and animals, including sea turtles, and the Black-footed Albatross. Besides the particles' danger to wildlife, the floating debris can absorb organic pollutants from seawater, including PCBs, DDT, and PAHs. Aside from toxic effects, when ingested, some of these are mistaken by the endocrine system as estradiol, causing hormone disruption in the affected animal.”  The 19 islands of Hawaii suffer greatly and as trash is expelled by the Gyre it accumulates of some beaches which are constantly covered by 5 to 10 feet of garbage.  Other beaches are riddled with “plastic sand”, millions of grain like pieces of plastic which are impossible to clean up.

While most people would assume these huge trash vortexes come from ships dumping into the ocean 80% of it originates on land.  Some, however, does come from private and commercial shipping.

Cleaning our world’s oceans may seem like an impossible feat, and realistically it is, but stopping the pattern of refuse disposal could help turn things around.  There currently exists international treaties prohibiting dumping at sea but they are largely ignored.  Untreated sewage flows continuously into our lakes, rivers and oceans.  Proper sewage plants are a luxury we are able to afford yet refuse to implement in most areas.  Many areas have eliminated or discourage the use of plastic bags.  Where plastic bags are available there is almost always recycling depots, yet huge numbers of these bags continue to be thrown out each year. Trawling the ocean to rid it of this garbage is not only a massive undertaking but would likely cause more harm than good.  These expanses are continental in size and extend more than 100 feet beneath the surface.

In 2008 an Environmental Coalition Committee was set up which calls for modifying a fleet of ships to clear the area of debris and form a restoration and recycling laboratory called Gyre Island.  Nearly all experts who argue the subject come to the same resolution: Managing the oceans trash begins with managing waste on land, where most of it originates.

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Pacific_Garbage_Patch
http://science.howstuffworks.com/great-pacific-garbage-patch2.htm
http://science.howstuffworks.com/great-pacific-garbage-patch.htm

Jennifer Maclellan is a contributing writer for The Green Guide Network.  You can contact her at jenn_maclellan@hotmail.com