Role Of Plastic In The North Pacific Gyre

Water is the most abused and wasted natural resource. Even with all our technological advancements, there are still approximately 1 billion people on this planet that do not have access to clean drinking water. Earth is comprised of 75% water with 96% of that being ocean water. Throughout the years, the ocean has become a dump for societies to use, throwing trash and waste away into the waters. Marine debris can destroy marine habitats, endanger marine and coastal wildlife, and serve as threats to human health and safety. For decades there has been a steady increase in the production of plastic materials for human use and various consumptive purposes. Due to bad disposal techniques, our population’s overuse, and the non-biodegradable nature of plastic; plastic is accountable for 80% of marine debris. This issue of plastic has and is

This is a collection of marine debris that has mixed into a swirling gyre in the Central North Pacific Ocean. This patch of plastic is difficult to measure accurately due to its vast size, the movement of the water, the debris within it, and not only the debris at the surface level but the debris that has sunken meters beneath the surface. Plastic is the main source of debris in the gyre and represents up to about 80% of the ocean’s total debris across the entire earth’s ocean (EPA, 2011). The plastic breaks down into tinnier pieces known as micro plastics. These micro plastics make the ocean water cloudy to see through. Mixed with the micro plastics are larger pieces of plastic. Most researchers of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch agree that it is at least the size of the state Texas, while other scientist argue that it is doubled. As plastic has become a dominant product in our lives, and its production has increased, the northern Pacific Ocean has been accumulating mass amounts of plastic by ocean and wind