North Pacific Gyre

The center of the North Pacific Gyre is a relatively stationary region of the Pacific Ocean (the area it occupies is often referred to as the horse latitudes). The circular rotation around it draws waste material in and has led to the accumulation of flotsam and other debris. While historically this debris has biodegraded, the gyre is now accumulating vast quantities of plastic and marine debris. Rather than biodegrading, plastic photodegrades, disintegrating in the ocean into smaller and smaller pieces. These pieces, still polymers, eventually become individual molecules, which are still not easily digested.[1] Some plastics photodegrade into other pollutants.

The gyre is discussed in Alan Weisman's The World Without Us as an example of the near-indestructibility of discarded plastic.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• North
• Pacific
• Gyre
• Garbage
• environment
• earth
• okinawa
• japan
• ecology

[tcorrao]

The EPA is an organization that looks out for the United States. This is a world problem. The United States will not pick up the bill for cleaning up this world mess. This should be a united nations effort to correct this problem.

[dogsloose]

how to start to solve this problem?? it has been on my mind for some years. need to find a chemist/scientist to develop a biodegradable product that has all the advantages of plastic. must be cheap to produce so we can persuade those poorer polluting countries to come on board to stop this pollution.

[tcorrao]

Yes humans need to think GREEN and biodegradable products is one aspect of solving the problems. Lead by example.

[Sonnyhaack]

This is the most disgusting thing i ever seen!!

Why do people speak about CO2 when things like this is happening? stop using money on reducing CO2 and start investing in cleaning the earth and the seas of garbage and nasty chemicals!! it's far more important !

[150133]

cause its made up of many tiny parts spread out over a great distance. its caught in between two major current systems so all the garbage gets caught in one place. google earth doesnt get close enough to see the individual particles and plastics.

[StephanieLisaTara]

HAIKU

I hatch! Crawl! And swim!

Oh how I love my sweet life,

Don't litter my home.

—A Green Sea Turtle

[tokkafan4life]

I like some cheese

[seaturtlesforever]

Check out " A piece of the Gyre" for where the plastic ends up as it breaks down into Micro-Marine Plastic. We get cloud of Micro-marine plastics making landfall in Oregon now.

[cyberpragya]

@Sonnyhaack It's disgusting, but it doesn't make CO2 any less important - every bit of the environment is interconnected, you work on one, you'll benefit some part of the rest.

[cyberpragya]

@Sonnyhaack It's disgusting, but it doesn't make CO2 any less important - every bit of the environment is interconnected, you work on one, you'll benefit some part of the rest.

[Staff777]

how much garbage does the US make in 1 year?

[MrBrunosp]

The men are killing the Earth!

[HyperElf9]

@dogsloose We have it already they are called hemp plastics!!!

[pwhallon]

What Island was this shot on?