The Great Pacific Garbage Patch

In the next few blog posts I'm going to be discussing the 'Great Pacific Garbage Patch', one of the most popular topics in marine plastics. It refers to a mass of marine plastic and other debris in the North Pacific Ocean, brought together by ocean gyres. The Garbage Patch is often seized upon by the media (see articles in The Telegraph, The Guardian, and The Daily Mail) in order to convey the sheer size of the marine plastic problem to the public, however, it is rather misunderstood.

So, before exploring the science and the politics behind the patch, let's cover the basics. 

There is no such thing as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. 

Whilst a popular idea, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch as most people imagine it simply does not exist. The name in itself leads to a common misconception about the nature of the Garbage Patch: that it is a singular and solid mass of plastic.

Firstly, there is more than one Garbage Patch. There are actually Western and Eastern Pacific Garbage Patches, and another important area called the subtropical convergence zone.   

Multiple Garbage Patches (Source: NOAA)

Secondly, there isn't an island of plastic. This is because most of the plastic debris is very small, and doesn't form a solid mass, but rather floats around in an unpleasant plastic-y soup.

(Check out this poster by NOAA for more info on the Great Pacific Garbage Patch)   

Having got that out the way, the next blogs will look in more detail at the interactions between ocean circulation and plastic debris, and, a very interesting question, 'whose responsibility is it to clear the Garbage Patches?'.  

Welcome!

Hello and welcome!

In this blog I am going to be exploring the impacts of plastic debris on marine life and ecosystems. I'll be taking a look at where the plastic is coming from, how it is affecting our oceans globally, and what the possible solutions are to the problem. First, let's examine why marine plastics present a global issue.

Why are marine plastics a global issue?

Marine plastic or plastic debris refer to the plastic rubbish in our oceans. This plastic poses two primary threats to marine life: entanglement and ingestion. Entanglement is when a part of an animal becomes trapped in a piece of plastic, often resulting in restricted development of the animal as it grows, and cannot break the plastic. Ingestion can occur when an animal mistakes plastic for prey or food. Ingestion can lead to starvation as the animals' stomach becomes full of plastic. These problems are pervasive across a number of species. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) estimates that at least 267 different species have experienced entanglement or ingestion.

Entanglement. (Source: http://www.ourendangeredworld.com/plastic-pollution)

Ingestion. (Source: http://www.oceanhealthindex.org/news/Death_By_Plastic)

The scale of plastic debris in the oceans is not fully known. However, marine plastic is found globally, in every ocean from the poles to the equator. The quantity of marine plastic can only be estimated, but UNEP studies suggest the figure in 2005/2006 was between 13,000 and 18,000 pieces of plastic rubbish in every square kilometre of ocean. Whilst there is no consensus on the exact amount of plastic debris in our oceans, it is clear that the problem is vast.