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73-575: The North Pacific Subtropical Gyre and the much smaller North Pacific Subpolar Gyre make up the two major gyre systems in the mid-latitudes of the Northern Pacific Ocean. This two-gyre circulation in the North Pacific is driven by the trade and westerly winds . This is one of the best examples of all of Earth's oceans where these winds drive a two-gyre circulation. Physical characteristics like weak thermohaline circulation in

146-536: A 2011 EPA report, "The primary source of marine debris is the improper waste disposal or management of trash and manufacturing products, including plastics (e.g., littering, illegal dumping) ... Debris is generated on land at marinas, ports, rivers, harbors, docks, and storm drains. Debris is generated at sea from fishing vessels, stationary platforms, and cargo ships." Constituents range in size from miles-long abandoned fishing nets to micro-pellets used in cosmetics and abrasive cleaners. A computer model predicts that

219-564: A 2021 study, researchers who examined plastic from the patch identified more than 40 animal species on 90 percent of the debris they studied. Discovery of a thriving ecosystem of life at the Great Pacific garbage patch in 2022 suggested that cleaning up garbage here may adversely remove this plastisphere . A 2023 study found that the plastic is home to coastal species surviving in the open ocean and reproducing. These coastal species, including jellyfish and sponges, are commonly found in

292-714: A 30-day expedition in the gyre which continued the science from the 2009 expeditions and tested prototype cleanup devices. in July/August 2012 Ocean Voyages Institute conducted a voyage from San Francisco to the Eastern limits of the North Pacific Gyre north, (ultimately ending in Richmond British Columbia) and then made a return voyage which also visited the Gyre. The focus on this expedition

365-447: A course along which the winds can be expected to blow in the direction of travel. During the Age of Sail , the pattern of prevailing winds made various points of the globe easy or difficult to access, and therefore had a direct effect on European empire-building and thus on modern political geography. For example, Manila galleons could not sail into the wind at all. By the 18th century,

438-410: A hypothetical piece of debris from the U.S. west coast would head for Asia, and return to the U.S. in six years; debris from the east coast of Asia would reach the U.S. in a year or less. While microplastics make up 94% of the estimated 1.8 trillion plastic pieces, they amount to only 8% of the 79 thousand metric tons (87 thousand short tons) of plastic there, with most of the rest coming from

511-463: A mean mass of 5.1 kilograms per square kilometre (29 lb/sq mi), in the neuston. The overall concentration of plastics was seven times greater than the concentration of zooplankton in many of the sampled areas. Samples collected deeper in the water column found much lower concentrations of plastic particles (primarily monofilament fishing line pieces). In 2012, researchers Goldstein, Rosenberg and Cheng found that microplastic concentrations in

584-411: A theory for Sverdrup transport. The Kuroshio Current is the narrow, strong westward boundary current of the subtropical circulation. This current influences the water column all the way to the bottom. The Kuroshio current flows in a northerly direction, then eventually flows further from the westward boundary where it then takes an eastward direction into the North Pacific. This eastward flowing current

657-542: Is a large and continuous patch of easily visible marine debris items such as bottles and other litter – akin to a literal island of trash that should be visible with satellite or aerial photographs. This is not the case. Further contrary to popular belief, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch cannot be seen from space. In a 2001 study, researchers found concentrations of plastic particles at 334,721 pieces per square kilometre (866,920/sq mi) with

730-546: Is caused by descending air aloft from within the subtropical ridge . The weaker the trade winds become, the more rainfall can be expected in the neighboring landmasses. The trade winds also transport nitrate- and phosphate-rich Saharan dust to all Latin America , the Caribbean Sea , and to parts of southeastern and southwestern North America. Sahara dust is on occasion present in sunsets across Florida . When dust from

803-476: Is determined by net mesh size, with similar mesh sizes required to make meaningful comparisons among studies. Floating debris typically is sampled with a neuston or manta trawl net lined with 0.33 mm [0.013 in] mesh. Given the very high level of spatial clumping in marine litter, large numbers of net tows are required to adequately characterize the average abundance of litter at sea. Long-term changes in plastic meso-litter have been reported using surface net tows: in

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876-807: Is fixed in the North Pacific Current. The Subarctic Frontal Zone, slightly south of the maximum westerly wind speeds, separates the North Pacific Subpolar Gyre from the Subtropical Gyre. In the central and eastern Pacific at roughly 32°N is the Subtropical Frontal Zone. Sometimes referred to as the Subtropical Convergence Zone, this frontal zone serves as the boundary between the west flowing North Equatorial Current from

949-700: Is known as a temperature inversion. When it occurs within a trade wind regime, it is known as a trade wind inversion. The surface air that flows from these subtropical high-pressure belts toward the Equator is deflected toward the west in both hemispheres by the Coriolis effect . These winds blow predominantly from the northeast in the Northern Hemisphere and from the southeast in the Southern Hemisphere . Because winds are named for

1022-563: Is located roughly from 135°W to 155°W and 35°N to 42°N . The collection of plastic and floating trash originates from the Pacific Rim , including countries in Asia, North America, and South America. Despite the common public perception of the patch existing as giant islands of floating garbage, its low density (4 particles per cubic metre (3.1/cu yd)) prevents detection by satellite imagery , or even by casual boaters or divers in

1095-692: Is then called the Kuroshio Extension. The North Pacific Current is located just north of the Subtropical Gyre and flows in an easterly direction. Also, known as the West Wind Drift or the Subarctic Current, the North Pacific Current also includes the westward flow of the southern boundary of the North Pacific Subpolar Gyre. The North Equatorial Current borders the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre on

1168-529: Is to remove half of the plastic pollution by 2027 using floating barriers anchored to the seabed. The same 2018 study found that, while microplastics dominate the area by count, 92% of the mass of the patch consists of larger objects which have not yet fragmented into microplastics. Some of the plastic in the patch is over 50 years old, and includes items (and fragments of items) such as "plastic lighters, toothbrushes, water bottles, pens, baby bottles, cell phones, plastic bags, and nurdles ". Research indicates that

1241-522: Is warm, trade winds are stronger within the tropics. The cold phase of the AO leads to weaker trade winds. When the trade winds are weaker, more extensive areas of rain fall upon landmasses within the tropics, such as Central America . During mid-summer in the Northern Hemisphere (July), the westward-moving trade winds south of the northward-moving subtropical ridge expand northwestward from

1314-653: The Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean . In meteorology , they act as the steering flow for tropical storms that form over the Atlantic, Pacific, and southern Indian oceans and cause rainfall in North America , Southeast Asia , and Madagascar and East Africa . Shallow cumulus clouds are seen within trade wind regimes and are capped from becoming taller by a trade wind inversion , which

1387-451: The Caribbean Sea into southeastern North America (Florida and Gulf Coast). When dust from the Sahara moving around the southern periphery of the ridge travels over land, rainfall is suppressed and the sky changes from a blue to a white appearance which leads to an increase in red sunsets. Its presence negatively impacts air quality by adding to the count of airborne particulates. Although

1460-564: The New Horizon and the Kaisei , embarked on a voyage to research the patch and determine the feasibility of commercial scale collection and recycling. The Scripps Institute of Oceanography's 2009 SEAPLEX expedition in part funded by Ocean Voyages Institute/Project Kaisei also researched the patch. Researchers were also looking at the impact of plastic on mesopelagic fish , such as lanternfish . In 2010, Ocean Voyages Institute conducted

1533-447: The Northern Hemisphere this means its circulation is in a clockwise direction around its high pressure at the center. This circulation is also associated with equatorward Sverdrup transport and Ekman downwelling . Ekman transport causes water to flow toward the center of the gyre, creating a sloped sea-surface, and initiating geostrophic flow . Harald Sverdrup applied Ekman transport while including pressure gradient forces to develop

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1606-483: The Pacific Rim , including countries in Asia, North America, and South America. Despite the common public perception of the patch existing as giant islands of floating garbage, its low density (4 particles per cubic metre (3.1/cu yd)) prevents detection by satellite imagery , or even by casual boaters or divers in the area. This is because the patch is a widely dispersed area consisting primarily of suspended "fingernail-sized or smaller"—often microscopic—particles in

1679-419: The Sahara travels over land, rainfall is suppressed and the sky changes from a blue to a white appearance which leads to an increase in red sunsets. Its presence negatively impacts air quality by adding to the count of airborne particulates. The term originally derives from the early fourteenth century sense of trade (in late Middle English ) still often meaning "path" or "track". The Portuguese recognized

1752-637: The Sea of Japan , the researchers hypothesized that similar conditions would occur in other parts of the Pacific where prevailing currents were favorable to the creation of relatively stable waters. They specifically indicated the North Pacific Gyre. Charles J. Moore , returning home through the North Pacific Gyre after competing in the Transpacific Yacht Race in 1997, claimed to have come upon an enormous stretch of floating debris. Moore alerted

1825-548: The oceanographer Curtis Ebbesmeyer , who subsequently dubbed the region the "Eastern Garbage Patch" (EGP). The area is frequently featured in media reports as an exceptional example of marine pollution . The JUNK Raft Project was a 2008 trans-Pacific sailing voyage made to highlight the plastic in the patch, organized by the Algalita Marine Research Foundation . In 2009, two project vessels from Project Kaisei /Ocean Voyages Institute;

1898-548: The "C" wraps back towards the west forming the North Equatorial Current just south of 20°N. It is common for subtropical gyres to have this "C-shape" surface flow. The Subtropical Countercurrent is a shallow area of this "C"; at only about 250 dbar under the surface, circulation is a simpler closed, anticyclonic gyre. Narrow east-west frontal zones that cross the Pacific are less than 100  km wide. The Subarctic Frontal Zone or Subarctic Boundary, about 42°N,

1971-482: The 1970s. Every year, millions of tons of nutrient-rich Saharan dust cross the Atlantic Ocean, bringing vital phosphorus and other fertilizers to depleted Amazon soils. Great Pacific Garbage Patch The Great Pacific Garbage Patch (also Pacific trash vortex and North Pacific Garbage Patch ) is a garbage patch , a gyre of marine debris particles, in the central North Pacific Ocean. It

2044-608: The Earth's equatorial region. The trade winds blow mainly from the northeast in the Northern Hemisphere and from the southeast in the Southern Hemisphere , strengthening during the winter and when the Arctic oscillation is in its warm phase. Trade winds have been used by captains of sailing ships to cross the world's oceans for centuries. They enabled European colonization of the Americas , and trade routes to become established across

2117-502: The Great Pacific Garbage Patch using "System 002" and announced its transition to "System 03", which is claimed to be 10 times as effective as its predecessor. The group expects larger nets to enable it starting in 2024 to remove garbage faster than it is being deposited, and to clean up the entire patch within ten years. The 2012 Algalita/ 5 Gyres Asia Pacific Expedition began in the Marshall Islands on 1 May, investigated

2190-487: The North Pacific Current. With increasing depth in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre, it gets smaller in the western region near Japan and it also loses strength. The Subtropical Gyre does not exist below 1500 m below the surface with the exception of the Kuroshio Current and Extension regions. The North Pacific Subtropical Gyre diminishes spatially with increasing depth. Similar to all subtropical gyre systems,

2263-404: The North Pacific Subtropical Gyre in 1999, plastic abundance was 335,000 items per square kilometre (870,000/sq mi) and 5.1 kilograms per square kilometre (29 lb/sq mi), roughly an order of magnitude greater than samples collected in the 1980s. Similar dramatic increases in plastic debris have been reported off Japan. However, caution is needed in interpreting such findings, because of

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2336-428: The North Pacific Subtropical Gyre shrinks towards its most energetic surface flows, in a northwestern direction between the Kuroshio Current and the Kuroshio Extension. This is drastic shrinkage from the surface to about 200 m below. At the surface, the boundary that separates the westward and eastward flows from south of 20°N to about 25–30°N at 200 m. The "C-shape" in the western region of the Subtropical Gyre, including

2409-401: The North Pacific and the fact that it is mostly blocked by land in the north, also help facilitate this circulation. As depth increases, these gyres in the North Pacific grow smaller and weaker, and the high pressure at the center of the Subtropical Gyre will migrate poleward and westward. Like all subtropical gyre systems, the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre is an anticyclone ; since it is in

2482-441: The North Pacific, incorporating coastal waters off North America and Japan. As the material is captured in the currents, wind-driven surface currents gradually move debris toward the center, trapping it. In a 2014 study researchers sampled 1571 locations throughout the world's oceans and determined that discarded fishing gear such as buoys, lines and nets accounted for more than 60% of the mass of plastic marine debris. According to

2555-852: The Southeast US has some of the cleanest air in North America, much of the African dust that reaches the United States affects Florida. Since 1970, dust outbreaks have worsened due to periods of drought in Africa. There is a large variability in the dust transport to the Caribbean and Florida from year to year. Dust events have been linked to a decline in the health of coral reefs across the Caribbean and Florida , primarily since

2628-507: The Subtropical Countercurrent, generally does not exist below 200 m. At about 1000–1500 m, the Subtropical Gyre is located entirely in the western region of the North Pacific near the Kuroshio Current and Kuroshio Extension. In the subtropical regions, flow is weak where influences from the Subtropical Gyre are minimal. Differences in steric heights over distances of 1000 km are on the order of 1  cm, rather than

2701-459: The area by count, 92% of the mass of the patch consists of larger objects which have not yet fragmented into microplastics. Some of the plastic in the patch is over 50 years old, and includes items (and fragments of items) such as "plastic lighters, toothbrushes, water bottles, pens, baby bottles, cell phones, plastic bags, and nurdles ". Trade winds The trade winds or easterlies are permanent east-to-west prevailing winds that flow in

2774-447: The area. This is because the patch is a widely dispersed area consisting primarily of suspended "fingernail-sized or smaller"—often microscopic—particles in the upper water column known as microplastics . Researchers from The Ocean Cleanup project claimed that the patch covers 1.6 million square kilometres (620,000 square miles) consisting of 45,000–129,000 metric tons (50,000–142,000 short tons) of plastic as of 2018. Its goal

2847-477: The designing of the "System 001/B". In 2021, The Ocean Cleanup collected 63,182 pounds (28,659 kg; 31.591 short tons; 28.659 t) of plastic using their "System 002". The mission started in July 2021 and concluded on 14 October 2021. In July 2022, The Ocean Cleanup announced that they had reached a milestone of removing the first 100,000 kilograms (220,000 lb; 100 t; 110 short tons) of plastic from

2920-407: The differences of 10  cm within the area of the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch (also Pacific trash vortex and North Pacific Garbage Patch) is a garbage patch , a gyre of marine debris particles, in the central North Pacific Ocean. It is located roughly from 135°W to 155°W and 35°N to 42°N . The collection of plastic and floating trash originates from

2993-620: The direction from which the wind is blowing, these winds are called the northeasterly trade winds in the Northern Hemisphere and the southeasterly trade winds in the Southern Hemisphere. The trade winds of both hemispheres meet at the Doldrums . As they blow across tropical regions, air masses heat up over lower latitudes due to more direct sunlight. Those that develop over land (continental) are drier and hotter than those that develop over oceans (maritime), and travel northward on

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3066-514: The equator while the flow aloft is towards the poles . A low-pressure area of calm, light variable winds near the equator is known as the doldrums , near-equatorial trough, intertropical front, or the Intertropical Convergence Zone . When located within a monsoon region, this zone of low pressure and wind convergence is also known as the monsoon trough . Around 30° in both hemispheres, air begins to descend toward

3139-493: The first collection system was deployed to the gyre to begin the collection task. This initial trial run of the Ocean Cleanup Project started towing its "Ocean Cleanup System 001" from San Francisco to a trial site some 240 nautical miles (440 km; 280 mi) away. The initial trial of the "Ocean Cleanup System 001" ran for four months and provided the research team with valuable information relevant to

3212-419: The fishing industry. A 2017 study concluded that of the 9.1 billion metric tons (10.0 billion short tons) of plastic produced since 1950, close to 7 billion metric tons (7.7 billion short tons) are no longer in use. The authors estimate that 9% was recycled , 12% was incinerated , and the remaining 5.5 billion metric tons (6.1 billion short tons) are in the oceans and land. In

3285-526: The gyre had increased by two orders of magnitude in the prior four decades. On 11 April 2013, artist Maria Cristina Finucci founded The Garbage Patch State at UNESCO  – Paris in front of Director General Irina Bokova . In March 2018, New Scientist published the prediction that the size was approximately 1.6 million square kilometers. In 2010, a conference at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) argued that whilst

3358-624: The importance of the trade winds (then the volta do mar , meaning in Portuguese "turn of the sea" but also "return from the sea") in navigation in both the north and south Atlantic Ocean as early as the 15th century. From West Africa, the Portuguese had to sail away from continental Africa, that is, to west and northwest. They could then turn northeast, to the area around the Azores islands, and finally east to mainland Europe. They also learned that to reach South Africa, they needed to go far out in

3431-464: The importance of the trade winds to England's merchant fleet for crossing the Atlantic Ocean had led both the general public and etymologists to identify the name with a later meaning of "trade": "(foreign) commerce". Between 1847 and 1849, Matthew Fontaine Maury collected enough information to create wind and current charts for the world's oceans. As part of the Hadley cell , surface air flows toward

3504-474: The important role the fishing industry plays in the global plastic waste issue. Predominantly, the composition of the hard plastic waste includes unidentifiable fragments, fishing and aquaculture gear such as fish boxes, oyster spacers, and eel traps and other plastic items associated with food, drinks and household items. They also represent a substantial amount of accumulated floating plastic mass. The 201 plastic objects analysed carried language writings with

3577-473: The initial Project Kaisei cleanup initiative while testing a variety of cleanup prototype devices. In 2019, over a 25-day expedition, Ocean Voyages Institute set the record for largest cleanup in the garbage patch, removing over 40 metric tons (44 short tons) of plastic from the ocean. In 2020, over the course of two expeditions, Ocean Voyages Institute again set the record for the largest cleanup removing 170 short tons (150 t; 340,000 lb) of plastic from

3650-420: The larger, but more rare debris, they also overflew the patch in 2016 with a C-130 Hercules aircraft, equipped with LiDAR sensors . The findings from the two expeditions, found that the patch covers 1.6 million square kilometres (0.62 million square miles) with a concentration of 10–100 kilograms per square kilometre (57–571 lb/sq mi). They estimate an 80,000 metric tons (88,000 short tons) in

3723-487: The most common languages identified being Chinese, Japanese, English and Korean, in that order. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch formed gradually as a result of ocean or marine pollution gathered by ocean currents . It occupies a relatively stationary region of the North Pacific Ocean bounded by the North Pacific Gyre in the horse latitudes . The gyre's rotational pattern draws in waste material from across

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3796-515: The ocean is estimated to come from land-based sources, with the remaining 20 percent coming from boats and other marine sources. These percentages vary by region, however. A 2018 study found that synthetic fishing nets made up nearly half the mass of the Great Pacific garbage patch, largely due to ocean current dynamics and increased fishing activity in the Pacific Ocean." An open access study published in 2022 concluded that 75% up to 86% of

3869-458: The ocean, head for Brazil, and around 30°S go east again. (This is because following the African coast southbound means sailing upwind in the Southern hemisphere.) In the Pacific Ocean, the full wind circulation, which included both the trade wind easterlies and higher-latitude westerlies , was unknown to Europeans until Andres de Urdaneta 's voyage in 1565. The captain of a sailing ship seeks

3942-437: The ocean. The first 45-day expedition removed 103 short tons (93 t; 206,000 lb) of plastic and the second expedition removed 67 short tons (61 t) of plastic from the garbage patch. In 2022, over the course of 2 summer expeditions, Ocean Voyages Institute removed 148 short tons (134 t; 296,000 lb) of plastic ghostnets, consumer items and mixed plastic debris from the garbage patch. On 9 September 2018,

4015-486: The patch is rapidly accumulating. The patch is believed to have increased "10-fold each decade" since 1945. The gyre contains approximately six pounds of plastic for every pound of plankton . A similar patch of floating plastic debris is found in the Atlantic Ocean, called the North Atlantic garbage patch . This growing patch contributes to other environmental damage to marine ecosystems and species. The patch

4088-470: The patch posed a threat to the living conditions of mankind, it was controllable. In a conference at the IEEE in the following year, it was argued that the patch disrupts the balance of the original marine ecosystem and provides microorganisms with new biological conditions, leading to the development of a new ecosystem. In 2009, Ocean Voyages Institute removed over 5 short tons (4.5 t) of plastic during

4161-413: The patch, with 1.8 trillion plastic pieces, out of which 92% of the mass is to be found in objects larger than 0.5 centimetres ( 3 ⁄ 16  in). NOAA stated: While "Great Pacific Garbage Patch" is a term often used by the media, it does not paint an accurate picture of the marine debris problem in the North Pacific Ocean. The name "Pacific Garbage Patch" has led many to believe that this area

4234-539: The plastic pollution is from fishing and agriculture with most identified emissions originating from Japan, China, South Korea, the US and Taiwan. The study analysed 6,093 debris items greater than 5 cm found in the North Pacific garbage patch, of which 99% of the rigid items by count and represented 90% of the total debris mass (514 kg) were plastics. These were later sorted, counted, weighed and their sources traced back to five industrialised fishing nations, suggesting

4307-517: The presence of two distinct debris zones. In March 2018, The Ocean Cleanup published a paper summarizing their findings from the Mega- (2015) and Aerial Expedition (2016). In 2015, the organization crossed the Great Pacific garbage patch with 30 vessels, to make observations and take samples with 652 survey nets. They collected a total of 1.2 million pieces, which they counted and categorized into their respective size classes. In order to also account for

4380-484: The problems of extreme spatial heterogeneity, and the need to compare samples from equivalent water masses, which is to say that, if an examination of the same parcel of water a week apart is conducted, an order of magnitude change in plastic concentration could be observed. In August 2009, the Scripps Institution of Oceanography / Project Kaisei SEAPLEX survey mission of the Gyre found that plastic debris

4453-564: The size of the patch is determined by a higher-than-normal degree of concentration of pelagic debris, there is no standard for determining the boundary between "normal" and "elevated" levels of pollutants to provide a firm estimate of the affected area. Net-based surveys are less subjective than direct observations but are limited regarding the area that can be sampled (net apertures 1–2 metres (3 ft 3 in – 6 ft 7 in) and ships typically have to slow down to deploy nets, requiring dedicated ship's time). The plastic debris sampled

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4526-487: The south and flows in a westerly direction. The westward flow within the elongated tropical cyclonic circulation is also included in the North Equatorial current. The California Current System comprises the eastern boundary of the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre and flows south along the coast of California. Here coastal upwelling drives the eastern boundary current and an undercurrent that flows poleward. In

4599-433: The surface in subtropical high-pressure belts known as subtropical ridges . The subsident (sinking) air is relatively dry because as it descends, the temperature increases, but the moisture content remains constant, which lowers the relative humidity of the air mass. This warm, dry air is known as a superior air mass and normally resides above a maritime tropical (warm and moist) air mass. An increase of temperature with height

4672-426: The surface, evading detection by aircraft or satellite. Instead, the size of the patch is determined by sampling. The estimated size of the garbage patch is 1,600,000 square kilometres (620,000 sq mi) (about twice the size of Texas or three times the size of France). Such estimates, however, are conjectural given the complexities of sampling and the need to assess findings against other areas. Further, although

4745-605: The trade wind inversion. Trade winds originate more from the direction of the poles (northeast in the Northern Hemisphere, southeast in the Southern Hemisphere) during the cold season, and are stronger in the winter than the summer. As an example, the windy season in the Guianas , which lie at low latitudes in South America , occurs between January and April. When the phase of the Arctic oscillation (AO)

4818-446: The upper water column known as microplastics . Researchers from The Ocean Cleanup project claimed that the patch covers 1.6 million square kilometres (620,000 square miles) consisting of 45,000–129,000 metric tons (50,000–142,000 short tons) of plastic as of 2018. Its goal is to remove half of the plastic pollution by 2027 using floating barriers anchored to the seabed. The same 2018 study found that, while microplastics dominate

4891-500: The western Pacific coast and are surviving alongside open-ocean species on the plastic. Some scientists are concerned that this mix of coastal and open-ocean species may result in unnatural or "neopelagic communities," in which coastal creatures could be competing with or even consuming open-ocean species. The size of the patch is indefinite, as is the precise distribution of debris because large items are uncommon. Most debris consists of small plastic particles suspended at or just below

4964-416: The western periphery of the subtropical ridge. Maritime tropical air masses are sometimes referred to as trade air masses. All tropical oceans except the northern Indian Ocean have extensive areas of trade winds. Clouds which form above regions within trade wind regimes are typically composed of cumulus which extend no more than 4 kilometres (13,000 ft) in height, and are capped from being taller by

5037-500: The western region of the North Pacific, the surface of the Subtropical Gyre generally has a "C-shape". The Kuroshio current and Kuroshio Extension roughly from the outside of this "C-shape" where it then turns westwards into recirculation, where it then flows south parallel to the Kuroshio Current. From here the "C-shape" then flows eastward comprising the Subtropical Countercurrent at roughly 20–25°N, then finally

5110-468: Was described in a 1988 paper published by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The description was based on research by several Alaska -based researchers in 1988 who measured neustonic plastic in the North Pacific Ocean. Researchers found relatively high concentrations of marine debris accumulating in regions governed by ocean currents. Extrapolating from findings in

5183-501: Was present in 100 consecutive samples taken at varying depths and net sizes along a path of 1,700 miles (2,700 km) through the patch. The survey found that, although the patch contains large pieces, it is on the whole made up of smaller items that increase in concentration toward the gyre's centre, and these ' confetti -like' pieces that are visible just beneath the surface suggests the affected area may be much smaller. Data collected in 2009 from Pacific albatross populations suggest

5256-625: Was responsible for approximately 30% of worldwide plastic ocean pollution at the time. In 2017, the Ocean Conservancy reported that China, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam dump more plastic in the sea than all other countries combined. Efforts to slow land generated debris and consequent marine debris accumulations have been undertaken by the Coastal Conservancy, Earth Day , and World Cleanup Day . According to National Geographic, "80 percent of plastic in

5329-594: Was surveying the extent of tsunami debris from the Japanese earthquake-tsunami. In 2015, a study published in the journal Science sought to discover where exactly all of this garbage is coming from. According to the researchers, the discarded plastics and other debris floats eastward out of countries in Asia from six primary sources: China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Sri Lanka and Thailand. The study – which used data as of 2010 – indicated that China

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