The Great Pacific Garbage Patch

______ This term can be used to describe a large

circula:ng ocean current:

• El Niño

• Estuary

• Gyre

• Inversion

Where is much of the debris in the

garbage patch generated?

• Harbors

• Marinas

• Rivers

• All of the above

How many tons of plas:c debris are

es:mated to enter the ocean each year from

rivers?

• 1,000 to 2,000 tons

• 10,000 to 20,000 tons

• 100,000 to 200,000 tons

• 1 to 2 million tons

How long does it take currents to carry

debris from the west coast of North America to the

gyre?

• About one year

• About three years

• About six years

• About ten years

Approximately what percentage of

objects found in the garbage patch are

microplas:cs less than 0.5 cm in size?

• 25%

• 50%

• 75%

• Over 90%

A common es:mate of the size of the

garbage patch is:

• 100,000 square miles (~260,000 square km)

• 300,000 square miles (~800,000 square km)

• 600,000 square miles (~1.6 million square km)

• 1,000,000 square mi.(~2.6 million square

  km)

Current research indicates that the

garbage patch is:

• Shrinking rapidly

• Shrinking slowly

• Growing slowly

• Growing rapidly

What risks does the garbage patch pose

for animals and humans?

• Fish and whales can confuse plastic as a

  food source

• Humans may consume fish that have

  consumed toxin-containing plastics

• Some animals can become trapped in

  plas:c nets and rings

• All of the above

In 2014, it became the first U.S. state to

ban single-use plastics at large retail stores.

• Alaska

• California

• Texas

• Washington

Which countries have passed laws to

ban or tax single-use plas:c bags?

• Australia

• China

• The United Kingdom

• All of the above