The Great Pacific Garbage Patch

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch

​We will explore how human activities impact aquatic environments

Students will examine the impact of pollution on aquatic environments

​What is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch?

​The Great Pacific garbage patch is a gyre (a large circulating

ocean current) of ocean debris in the north central Pacific Ocean,

located approximately halfway between California and Hawaii.

​

The garbage patch is composed mostly of plastic suspended near the ocean’s surface and is not easily seen from the sky as the garbage is dispersed over a large area.

Multiple Choice

What is a gyre?

• bread

• a large circulating

  ocean current

• Santa

• Reindeer

​How Does the Garbage Get Into the Ocean?

​The debris in the garbage patch has come from a variety

of sources. Much of the debris is generated on land at marinas,

ports, rivers, harbors, docks, and more. It is estimated that from

1 to 2 millions tons of plastic debris enters the ocean each year

from rivers. Debris is generated at sea from fishing vessels, cargo

ships, and more.

​

Currents carry debris from the west coast of North

America to the gyre in about six years, and from the east coast of

Asia in a year or less.

Multiple Choice

How much plastic debris enters the ocean each year?

• 1 to 2 millions of tons

• 500,000 tons

• 1 ton

• 1

Exactly What is in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch?

​Much of the garbage patch is composed of discarded fishing gear such as buoys, lines and nets. Trash can range in size from miles-long abandoned fishing nets to micro- pellets used in cosmetics and abrasive cleaners.

​

While most of the mass of the garbage patch is made up of larger objects, over 90% of all objects found in the garbage patch are microplastics that less are less than 0.5 cm in size. Unlike organic debris, which biodegrades, plastic disintegrates into ever smaller pieces without

changing chemically.

Multiple Choice

Over 90% of all objects found in the garbage patch are

• Straws

• Nets

• microplastics

• Wrapping paper

​How Large is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch?

​Estimates of the size of the garbage patch vary. A common estimate is approximately 600,000 square miles (1.6 million square kilometers), or an area about twice the size of Texas. Current research indicates that the patch is growing rapidly.

Multiple Choice

How big is the great pacific garbage patch?

• 2x the size of Texas

• the size of Santa's sleigh

• Boop

• 10x the size of Texas

​What Risks Does the Garbage Patch Pose for Animals and Humans?

​Fish and whales can confuse plastic as a food source due to its size and color, causing malnutrition. Long-lasting plastics end up in the stomachs of marine animals.

​

Some animals, especially sea turtles, can become trapped in plastic nets and rings, which can lead to their deaths. Humans may consume fish that have consumed toxin-containing plastic pieces.

Open Ended

Write down at least one of the risks that the garbage patch poses to humans or animals

​Is it Possible to Clean Up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch?

​There are efforts underway to clean up the Great Pacific garbage

patch and reduce the amount of plastic that ends up in the ocean.

The Ocean Cleanup is a non-profit organization founded in 2013 to

develop advanced technologies to rid the world’s oceans of plastic. Their

goal is to clean up half of the Great Pacific garbage patch in five years.

​

​In 2014, California became the first U.S. state to ban single-use

plastic bags at large retail stores. Single-use plastic bags are also banned

throughout most of Hawaii and banned or taxed in several large U.S. cities

including Washington D.C., Boston, Seattle, and San Francisco.

​

Several countries, including the United Kingdom, Australia, China,

and Chile, have passed laws to ban or tax single-use plastic bags.

Multiple Select

Countries that have banned or taxed plastic bags include

• United Kingdom

• Australia

• China

• Chile

Multiple Choice

Current research indicates that the

garbage patch is:

• Shrinking rapidly

• Shrinking slowly

• Growing slowly

• Growing rapidly

Multiple Choice

Where is much of the debris in the

garbage patch generated?

• Harbors

• Marinas

• Rivers

• All of the above

Open Ended

Do you feel single-use plastic items such as straws and grocery bags should be taxed or banned? Why or why not?

Open Ended

How can the fact that multiple countries contribute to the Great Pacific garbage patch make solving the issue more difficult?