The Great Pacific Garbage Patch

Article Written By: Janice Seungmin Yoo

Current State of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch

Have you ever heard about the great pacific garbage patch? The great pacific garbage patch, also known as the ‘GPGP’, is the largest of the five offshore plastic accumulation zones in the world’s ocean. The GPGP is located between Hawaii and California, in the North pacific ocean. It is estimated that 1.8 trillion plastic particles are found in this area. The mass of the plastic in the GPGP is estimated to be approximately 80,000 tonnes, which is equivalent to 4 million bicycles.

Then, what has caused this gigantic zone of plastics in the ocean? It is estimated that each year, 1.15 to 2.41 million tonnes of plastic are entering the ocean from rivers. More than half of this plastic is less dense than the water, suggesting that once the plastic enters the sea, it will never sink. Plastics are unlikely to leave the zone until they degrade into smaller microplastics by the effects of sun, marine life or waves. Also, according to the research team ‘Ocean cleanup’ , the number of plastics in the GPGP is continuously increasing over time.

The rising number of plastic in the ocean is threatening human life as well as marine life. First of all, due to the size and color of the plastic, animals easily assume plastic as food, causing them to eat plastic. Animals eating plastic floating on the ocean results malnutrition; creating risks and threatening their health and existence. Studies convey that about 700 species have encountered with marine debris, and 92% of these interactions are with plastic. Since animals eat plastic, the chemicals in the plastics would enter the body of the animal and furthermore, the chemicals will pass to the predator up until it reaches humans. Therefore, humans could be affected by plastic and have it in our body like the animals.

Bibliography (MLA 8 FORMAT):

Website Citations:

Website 1:

Cook, Sophie. “The Great Pacific Garbage Patch.” Varsity Online, 1 Feb. 2019, 12:00AM, www.varsity.co.uk/science/16905.

Website 2:

Silverman, Jacob. “Why Is the World's Biggest Landfill in the Pacific Ocean?” HowStuffWorks Science, HowStuffWorks, 8 Mar. 2018, science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/earth/oceanography/great-pacific-garbage-patch.htm.

Photo Citations:

Photo 1:

Staff, HowStuffWorks. “The Ultimate Great Pacific Garbage Patch Quiz.” HowStuffWorks, 3 Dec. 2015, play.howstuffworks.com/quiz/great-pacific-garbage-patch-quiz.