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Garbage patch

August 21, 2023

A garbage patch is a gyre of marine debris particles caused by the effects of ocean currents and increasing plastic pollution by human populations. These human-caused collections of plastic and other debris, cause ecosystem and environmental problems that affect marine life, contaminate oceans with toxic chemicals, and contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. Once waterborne, marine debris becomes mobile. Flotsam can be blown by the wind, or follow the flow of ocean currents, often ending up in the middle of oceanic gyres where currents are weakest. Garbage patches grow because of widespread loss of plastic from human trash collection systems.

The United Nations Environmental Program estimated that "for every square mile of ocean" there are about "46,000 pieces of plastic."[1] The 10 largest emitters of oceanic plastic pollution worldwide are, from the most to the least, China, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Egypt, Malaysia, Nigeria, and Bangladesh,[2] largely through the rivers Yangtze, Indus, Yellow, Hai, Nile, Ganges, Pearl, Amur, Niger, and the Mekong, and accounting for "90 percent of all the plastic that reaches the world's oceans."[3][4] Asia was the leading source of mismanaged plastic waste, with China alone accounting for 2.4 million metric tons.[5]

The best known of these is the Great Pacific garbage patch which has the highest density of marine debris and plastic. Other identified patches include the North Atlantic garbage patch between North America and Africa, the South Atlantic garbage patch located between eastern South America and the tip of Africa, the South Pacific garbage patch located west of South America, and the Indian Ocean garbage patch found east of South Africa listed in order of decreasing size.[6] In the Pacific Gyre, specifically 20°N-40°N latitude, large bodies with floating marine debris can be found.[7] Models of wind patterns and ocean currents indicate that the plastic waste in the northern Pacific is particularly dense where the Subtropical Convergence Zone (STCZ), meets a southwest–northeast line, found north of the Hawaiian archipelago.[7]

In the Pacific, there are two mass buildups: the western garbage patch and the eastern garbage patch, the former off the coast of Japan and the latter between Hawaii and California. The two garbage patches are both part of the great Pacific garbage patch, and are connected through a section of plastic debris off the northern coast of the Hawaiian islands. These garbage patches contain 90 million tonnes (100 million short tons) of debris.[7] The waste is not compact, and although most of it is near the surface of the pacific, it can be found up to more than 30 metres (100 ft) deep in the water.[7]

2017 research [8] reported "the highest density of plastic rubbish anywhere in the world" on remote and uninhabited Henderson Island in South Pacific as a result of the South Pacific Gyre. The beaches contain an estimated 37.7 million items of debris together weighing 17.6 tonnes. In a study transect on North Beach, each day 17 to 268 new items washed up on a 10-metre section.[9][10][11]

Identified patches

 
Of the five gyres on this map, all have significant garbage patches.

In 2014, there were five areas across all the oceans where the majority of plastic concentrated.[12] Researchers collected a total of 3070 samples across the world to identify hot spots of surface level plastic pollution. The pattern of distribution closely mirrored models of oceanic currents with the North Pacific Gyre, or Great Pacific Garbage Patch, being the highest density of plastic accumulation. The other four garbage patches include the North Atlantic garbage patch between the North America and Africa, the South Atlantic garbage patch located between eastern South America and the tip of Africa, the South Pacific garbage patch located west of South America, and the Indian Ocean garbage patch found east of South Africa.[12]

Great Pacific

These paragraphs are an excerpt from Great Pacific garbage patch.[edit]

The Great Pacific garbage patch (also Pacific trash vortex and North Pacific garbage patch[13]) 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.[14] The collection of plastic and floating trash originates from the Pacific Rim, including countries in Asia, North America, and South America.[15]

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 the upper water column known as microplastics.[16] Researchers from The Ocean Cleanup project claimed that the patch covers 1.6 million square kilometres (620 thousand square miles) [17] consisting of 45–129 thousand metric tons (50–142 thousand short tons) of plastic as of 2018.[18] 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 the patch is rapidly accumulating.[18] The patch is believed to have increased "10-fold each decade" since 1945.[19] The gyre contains approximately six pounds of plastic for every pound of plankton.[20] A similar patch of floating plastic debris is found in the Atlantic Ocean, called the North Atlantic garbage patch.[21][22] This growing patch contributes to other environmental damage to marine ecosystems and species.

South Pacific

These paragraphs are an excerpt from South Pacific garbage patch.[edit]
The South Pacific garbage patch is an area of ocean with increased levels of marine debris and plastic particle pollution, within the ocean's pelagic zone. This area is in the South Pacific Gyre, which itself spans from waters east of Australia to the South American continent, as far north as the Equator, and south until reaching the Antarctic Circumpolar Current.[23] The degradation of plastics in the ocean also leads to a rise in the level of toxics in the area.[24] The garbage patch was confirmed in mid-2017, and has been compared to the Great Pacific garbage patch's state in 2007, making the former ten years younger. The South Pacific garbage patch is not visible on satellites, and is not a landmass. Most particles are smaller than a grain of rice.[25] A researcher said: "This cloud of microplastics extends both vertically and horizontally. It's more like smog than a patch".[25]

Indian Ocean

These paragraphs are an excerpt from Indian Ocean garbage patch.[edit]
The Indian Ocean garbage patch, discovered in 2010, is a marine garbage patch, a gyre of marine litter, suspended in the upper water column of the central Indian Ocean, specifically the Indian Ocean Gyre, one of the five major oceanic gyres.[26][27][28][29][30][31] The patch does not appear as a continuous debris field. As with other patches in each of the five oceanic gyres, the plastics in it break down to ever smaller particles, and to constituent polymers.[32] As with the other patches, the field constitutes an elevated level of pelagic plastics, chemical sludge, and other debris; primarily particles that are invisible to the naked eye. The concentration of particle debris has been estimated to be approximately 10,000 particles per square kilometer.[33][34][35][36]

North Atlantic

These paragraphs are an excerpt from North Atlantic garbage patch.[edit]
The North Atlantic garbage patch is a garbage patch of man-made marine debris found floating within the North Atlantic Gyre, originally documented in 1972.[37] A 22-year research study conducted by the Sea Education Association estimates the patch to be hundreds of kilometers across, with a density of more than 200,000 pieces of debris per square kilometer.[38][39][40][41] The garbage originates from human-created waste traveling from rivers into the ocean and mainly consists of microplastics.[42] The garbage patch is a large risk to wildlife (and to humans) through plastic consumption and entanglement.[43] There have only been a few awareness and clean-up efforts for the North Atlantic garbage patch, such as The Garbage Patch State at UNESCO and The Ocean Cleanup, as most of the research and cleanup efforts have been focused on the Great Pacific garbage patch, a similar garbage patch in the north Pacific.[44][45]

Environmental issues

Main articles: Marine debris and Marine plastic pollution

Photodegradation of plastics

See also: Photodegradation and Microplastics
 
Washed-up plastic waste on a beach in Singapore

The North Atlantic patch is one of several oceanic regions where researchers have studied the effects and impact of plastic photodegradation in the neustonic layer of water.[46] Unlike organic debris, which biodegrades, plastic disintegrates into ever smaller pieces while remaining a polymer (without changing chemically). This process continues down to the molecular level.[47] Some plastics decompose within a year of entering the water, releasing potentially toxic chemicals such as bisphenol A, PCBs and derivatives of polystyrene.[48]

As the plastic flotsam photodegrades into smaller and smaller pieces, it concentrates in the upper water column. As it disintegrates, the pieces become small enough to be ingested by aquatic organisms that reside near the ocean's surface. Plastic may become concentrated in neuston, thereby entering the food chain. Disintegration means that much of the plastic is too small to be seen. Moreover, plastic exposed to sunlight and in watering environments produce greenhouse gases, leading to further environmental impact.[49]

Effects on marine life

The 2017 United Nations Ocean Conference estimated that the oceans might contain more weight in plastics than fish by the year 2050.[50] Some long-lasting plastics end up in the stomachs of marine animals.[51][52][53] Plastic attracts seabirds and fish. When marine life consumes plastic allowing it to enter the food chain, this can lead to greater problems when species that have consumed plastic are then eaten by other predators.

Animals can also become trapped in plastic nets and rings, which can cause death. Plastic pollution affects at least 700 marine species, including sea turtles, seals, seabirds, fish, whales, and dolphins.[54] Cetaceans have been sighted within the patch, which poses entanglement and ingestion risks to animals using the Great Pacific garbage patch as a migration corridor or core habitat.[55]

Plastic consumption

 
An exhibit at the Mote Marine Laboratory that displays plastic bags in the ocean that look similar to jellyfish.

With the increased amount of plastic in the ocean, living organisms are now at a greater risk of harm from plastic consumption and entanglement. Approximately 23% of aquatic mammals, and 36% of seabirds have experienced the detriments of plastic presence in the ocean.[56] Since as much as 70% of the trash is estimated to be on the ocean floor, and microplastics are only millimeters wide, sealife at nearly every level of the food chain is affected.[57][58][59] Animals who feed off of the bottom of the ocean risk sweeping microplastics into their systems while gathering food.[60] Smaller marine life such as mussels and worms sometimes mistake plastic for their prey.[56][61]

Larger animals are also affected by plastic consumption because they feed on fish, and are indirectly consuming microplastics already trapped inside their prey.[60] Likewise, humans are also susceptible to microplastic consumption. People who eat seafood also eat some of the microplastics that were ingested by marine life. Oysters and clams are popular vehicles for human microplastic consumption.[60] Animals who are within the general vicinity of the water are also affected by the plastic in the ocean. Studies have shown 36% species of seabirds are consuming plastic because they mistake larger pieces of plastic for food.[56] Plastic can cause blockage of intestines as well as tearing of interior stomach and intestinal lining of marine life, ultimately leading to starvation and death.[56]

Entanglement

Not all marine life is affected by the consumption of plastic. Some instead find themselves tangled in larger pieces of garbage that cause just as much harm as the barely visible microplastics.[56] Trash that has the possibility of wrapping itself around a living organism may cause strangulation or drowning.[56] If the trash gets stuck around a ligament that is not vital for airflow, the ligament may grow with a malformation.[56] Plastic's existence in the ocean becomes cyclical because marine life that is killed by it ultimately decompose in the ocean, re-releasing the plastics into the ecosystem.[62][63]

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August 21, 2023
garbage, patch, garbage, patch, gyre, marine, debris, particles, caused, effects, ocean, currents, increasing, plastic, pollution, human, populations, these, human, caused, collections, plastic, other, debris, cause, ecosystem, environmental, problems, that, a. A garbage patch is a gyre of marine debris particles caused by the effects of ocean currents and increasing plastic pollution by human populations These human caused collections of plastic and other debris cause ecosystem and environmental problems that affect marine life contaminate oceans with toxic chemicals and contribute to greenhouse gas emissions Once waterborne marine debris becomes mobile Flotsam can be blown by the wind or follow the flow of ocean currents often ending up in the middle of oceanic gyres where currents are weakest Garbage patches grow because of widespread loss of plastic from human trash collection systems The United Nations Environmental Program estimated that for every square mile of ocean there are about 46 000 pieces of plastic 1 The 10 largest emitters of oceanic plastic pollution worldwide are from the most to the least China Indonesia Philippines Vietnam Sri Lanka Thailand Egypt Malaysia Nigeria and Bangladesh 2 largely through the rivers Yangtze Indus Yellow Hai Nile Ganges Pearl Amur Niger and the Mekong and accounting for 90 percent of all the plastic that reaches the world s oceans 3 4 Asia was the leading source of mismanaged plastic waste with China alone accounting for 2 4 million metric tons 5 The best known of these is the Great Pacific garbage patch which has the highest density of marine debris and plastic Other identified patches include the North Atlantic garbage patch between North America and Africa the South Atlantic garbage patch located between eastern South America and the tip of Africa the South Pacific garbage patch located west of South America and the Indian Ocean garbage patch found east of South Africa listed in order of decreasing size 6 In the Pacific Gyre specifically 20 N 40 N latitude large bodies with floating marine debris can be found 7 Models of wind patterns and ocean currents indicate that the plastic waste in the northern Pacific is particularly dense where the Subtropical Convergence Zone STCZ meets a southwest northeast line found north of the Hawaiian archipelago 7 In the Pacific there are two mass buildups the western garbage patch and the eastern garbage patch the former off the coast of Japan and the latter between Hawaii and California The two garbage patches are both part of the great Pacific garbage patch and are connected through a section of plastic debris off the northern coast of the Hawaiian islands These garbage patches contain 90 million tonnes 100 million short tons of debris 7 The waste is not compact and although most of it is near the surface of the pacific it can be found up to more than 30 metres 100 ft deep in the water 7 2017 research 8 reported the highest density of plastic rubbish anywhere in the world on remote and uninhabited Henderson Island in South Pacific as a result of the South Pacific Gyre The beaches contain an estimated 37 7 million items of debris together weighing 17 6 tonnes In a study transect on North Beach each day 17 to 268 new items washed up on a 10 metre section 9 10 11 Contents 1 Identified patches 1 1 Great Pacific 1 2 South Pacific 1 3 Indian Ocean 1 4 North Atlantic 2 Environmental issues 2 1 Photodegradation of plastics 2 2 Effects on marine life 2 2 1 Plastic consumption 2 2 2 Entanglement 3 ReferencesIdentified patches Edit Of the five gyres on this map all have significant garbage patches In 2014 there were five areas across all the oceans where the majority of plastic concentrated 12 Researchers collected a total of 3070 samples across the world to identify hot spots of surface level plastic pollution The pattern of distribution closely mirrored models of oceanic currents with the North Pacific Gyre or Great Pacific Garbage Patch being the highest density of plastic accumulation The other four garbage patches include the North Atlantic garbage patch between the North America and Africa the South Atlantic garbage patch located between eastern South America and the tip of Africa the South Pacific garbage patch located west of South America and the Indian Ocean garbage patch found east of South Africa 12 Great Pacific Edit These paragraphs are an excerpt from Great Pacific garbage patch edit The Great Pacific garbage patch also Pacific trash vortex and North Pacific garbage patch 13 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 14 The collection of plastic and floating trash originates from the Pacific Rim including countries in Asia North America and South America 15 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 the upper water column known as microplastics 16 Researchers from The Ocean Cleanup project claimed that the patch covers 1 6 million square kilometres 620 thousand square miles 17 consisting of 45 129 thousand metric tons 50 142 thousand short tons of plastic as of 2018 18 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 the patch is rapidly accumulating 18 The patch is believed to have increased 10 fold each decade since 1945 19 The gyre contains approximately six pounds of plastic for every pound of plankton 20 A similar patch of floating plastic debris is found in the Atlantic Ocean called the North Atlantic garbage patch 21 22 This growing patch contributes to other environmental damage to marine ecosystems and species South Pacific Edit These paragraphs are an excerpt from South Pacific garbage patch edit The South Pacific garbage patch is an area of ocean with increased levels of marine debris and plastic particle pollution within the ocean s pelagic zone This area is in the South Pacific Gyre which itself spans from waters east of Australia to the South American continent as far north as the Equator and south until reaching the Antarctic Circumpolar Current 23 The degradation of plastics in the ocean also leads to a rise in the level of toxics in the area 24 The garbage patch was confirmed in mid 2017 and has been compared to the Great Pacific garbage patch s state in 2007 making the former ten years younger The South Pacific garbage patch is not visible on satellites and is not a landmass Most particles are smaller than a grain of rice 25 A researcher said This cloud of microplastics extends both vertically and horizontally It s more like smog than a patch 25 Indian Ocean Edit These paragraphs are an excerpt from Indian Ocean garbage patch edit The Indian Ocean garbage patch discovered in 2010 is a marine garbage patch a gyre of marine litter suspended in the upper water column of the central Indian Ocean specifically the Indian Ocean Gyre one of the five major oceanic gyres 26 27 28 29 30 31 The patch does not appear as a continuous debris field As with other patches in each of the five oceanic gyres the plastics in it break down to ever smaller particles and to constituent polymers 32 As with the other patches the field constitutes an elevated level of pelagic plastics chemical sludge and other debris primarily particles that are invisible to the naked eye The concentration of particle debris has been estimated to be approximately 10 000 particles per square kilometer 33 34 35 36 North Atlantic Edit These paragraphs are an excerpt from North Atlantic garbage patch edit The North Atlantic garbage patch is a garbage patch of man made marine debris found floating within the North Atlantic Gyre originally documented in 1972 37 A 22 year research study conducted by the Sea Education Association estimates the patch to be hundreds of kilometers across with a density of more than 200 000 pieces of debris per square kilometer 38 39 40 41 The garbage originates from human created waste traveling from rivers into the ocean and mainly consists of microplastics 42 The garbage patch is a large risk to wildlife and to humans through plastic consumption and entanglement 43 There have only been a few awareness and clean up efforts for the North Atlantic garbage patch such as The Garbage Patch State at UNESCO and The Ocean Cleanup as most of the research and cleanup efforts have been focused on the Great Pacific garbage patch a similar garbage patch in the north Pacific 44 45 Environmental issues EditMain articles Marine debris and Marine plastic pollution Photodegradation of plastics Edit See also Photodegradation and Microplastics Washed up plastic waste on a beach in SingaporeThe North Atlantic patch is one of several oceanic regions where researchers have studied the effects and impact of plastic photodegradation in the neustonic layer of water 46 Unlike organic debris which biodegrades plastic disintegrates into ever smaller pieces while remaining a polymer without changing chemically This process continues down to the molecular level 47 Some plastics decompose within a year of entering the water releasing potentially toxic chemicals such as bisphenol A PCBs and derivatives of polystyrene 48 As the plastic flotsam photodegrades into smaller and smaller pieces it concentrates in the upper water column As it disintegrates the pieces become small enough to be ingested by aquatic organisms that reside near the ocean s surface Plastic may become concentrated in neuston thereby entering the food chain Disintegration means that much of the plastic is too small to be seen Moreover plastic exposed to sunlight and in watering environments produce greenhouse gases leading to further environmental impact 49 Effects on marine life Edit The 2017 United Nations Ocean Conference estimated that the oceans might contain more weight in plastics than fish by the year 2050 50 Some long lasting plastics end up in the stomachs of marine animals 51 52 53 Plastic attracts seabirds and fish When marine life consumes plastic allowing it to enter the food chain this can lead to greater problems when species that have consumed plastic are then eaten by other predators Animals can also become trapped in plastic nets and rings which can cause death Plastic pollution affects at least 700 marine species including sea turtles seals seabirds fish whales and dolphins 54 Cetaceans have been sighted within the patch which poses entanglement and ingestion risks to animals using the Great Pacific garbage patch as a migration corridor or core habitat 55 Plastic consumption Edit An exhibit at the Mote Marine Laboratory that displays plastic bags in the ocean that look similar to jellyfish With the increased amount of plastic in the ocean living organisms are now at a greater risk of harm from plastic consumption and entanglement Approximately 23 of aquatic mammals and 36 of seabirds have experienced the detriments of plastic presence in the ocean 56 Since as much as 70 of the trash is estimated to be on the ocean floor and microplastics are only millimeters wide sealife at nearly every level of the food chain is affected 57 58 59 Animals who feed off of the bottom of the ocean risk sweeping microplastics into their systems while gathering food 60 Smaller marine life such as mussels and worms sometimes mistake plastic for their prey 56 61 Larger animals are also affected by plastic consumption because they feed on fish and are indirectly consuming microplastics already trapped inside their prey 60 Likewise humans are also susceptible to microplastic consumption People who eat seafood also eat some of the microplastics that were ingested by marine life Oysters and clams are popular vehicles for human microplastic consumption 60 Animals who are within the general vicinity of the water are also affected by the plastic in the ocean Studies have shown 36 species of seabirds are consuming plastic because they mistake larger pieces of plastic for food 56 Plastic can cause blockage of intestines as well as tearing of interior stomach and intestinal lining of marine life ultimately leading to starvation and death 56 Entanglement Edit Not all marine life is affected by the consumption of plastic Some instead find themselves tangled in larger pieces of garbage that cause just as much harm as the barely visible microplastics 56 Trash that has the possibility of wrapping itself around a living organism may cause strangulation or drowning 56 If the trash gets stuck around a ligament that is not vital for airflow the ligament may grow with a malformation 56 Plastic s existence in the ocean becomes cyclical because marine life that is killed by it ultimately decompose in the ocean re releasing the plastics into the ecosystem 62 63 References Edit Maser Chris 2014 Interactions of Land Ocean and Humans A Global Perspective CRC Press pp 147 48 ISBN 978 1482226393 Jambeck Jenna R Geyer Roland Wilcox Chris 12 February 2015 Plastic waste inputs from land into the ocean PDF Science 347 6223 769 Bibcode 2015Sci 347 768J doi 10 1126 science 1260352 PMID 25678662 S2CID 206562155 Retrieved 28 August 2018 Christian Schmidt Tobias Krauth Stephan Wagner 11 October 2017 Export of Plastic Debris by Rivers into the Sea PDF Environmental Science amp Technology 51 21 12246 12253 Bibcode 2017EnST 5112246S doi 10 1021 acs est 7b02368 PMID 29019247 The 10 top ranked rivers transport 88 95 of the global load into the sea Harald Franzen 30 November 2017 Almost all plastic in the ocean comes from just 10 rivers Deutsche Welle Retrieved 18 December 2018 It turns out that about 90 percent of all the plastic that reaches the world s oceans gets flushed through just 10 rivers The Yangtze the Indus Yellow River Hai River the Nile the Ganges Pearl River Amur River the Niger and the Mekong in that order Robert Lee Hotz 13 February 2015 Asia Leads World in Dumping Plastic in Seas Wall Street Journal Archived from the original on 23 February 2015 Cozar Andres Echevarria Fidel Gonzalez Gordillo J Ignacio Irigoien Xabier Ubeda Barbara Hernandez Leon Santiago Palma Alvaro T Navarro Sandra Garcia de Lomas Juan Ruiz Andrea Fernandez de Puelles Maria L 2014 07 15 Plastic debris in the open ocean Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 111 28 10239 10244 Bibcode 2014PNAS 11110239C doi 10 1073 pnas 1314705111 ISSN 0027 8424 PMC 4104848 PMID 24982135 a b c d Marine Debris in the North Pacific A Summary of Existing Information and Identification of Data Gaps PDF United States Environmental Protection Agency 24 July 2015 Lavers Jennifer L Bond Alexander L 2017 Exceptional and rapid accumulation of anthropogenic debris on one of the world s most remote and pristine islands Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 114 23 6052 55 doi 10 1073 pnas 1619818114 PMC 5468685 PMID 28507128 Remote South Pacific island has highest levels of plastic rubbish in the world Dani Cooper ABC News Online 16 May 2017 Hunt Elle 15 May 2017 38 million pieces of plastic waste found on uninhabited South Pacific island The Guardian Retrieved 16 May 2017 No one lives on this remote Pacific island but it s covered in 38 million pieces of our trash Washington Post Retrieved 16 May 2017 a b Cozar Andres Echevarria Fidel Gonzalez Gordillo J Ignacio Irigoien Xabier Ubeda Barbara Hernandez Leon Santiago Palma Alvaro T Navarro Sandra Garcia de Lomas Juan Ruiz Andrea Fernandez de Puelles Maria L 2014 07 15 Plastic debris in the open ocean Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 111 28 10239 10244 Bibcode 2014PNAS 11110239C doi 10 1073 pnas 1314705111 ISSN 0027 8424 PMC 4104848 PMID 24982135 Lebreton Laurent Royer Sarah Jeanne Peytavin Axel Strietman Wouter Jan Smeding Zuurendonk Ingeborg Egger Matthias 2022 09 01 Industrialised fishing nations largely contribute to floating plastic pollution in the North Pacific subtropical gyre Scientific Reports 12 1 12666 Bibcode 2022NatSR 1212666L doi 10 1038 s41598 022 16529 0 ISSN 2045 2322 PMC 9436981 PMID 36050351 This article incorporates text from this source which is available under the CC BY 4 0 license See the relevant sections below for specific references concerning the discovery and history of the patch A general overview is provided in Dautel Susan L Transoceanic Trash International and United States Strategies for the Great Pacific Garbage Patch 3 Golden Gate U Envtl L J 181 2007 World s largest collection of ocean garbage is twice the size of Texas USA Today Archived from the original on 15 February 2020 Retrieved 29 April 2018 Philp Richard B 2013 Ecosystems and Human Health Toxicology and Environmental Hazards Third Edition CRC Press p 116 ISBN 978 1466567214 Albeck Ripka Livia 22 March 2018 The Great Pacific Garbage Patch Is Ballooning 87 000 000 000 Tons of Plastic and Counting The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on 11 January 2020 Retrieved 26 February 2020 a b Frias J Nash Roisin 2019 Microplastics Finding a consensus on the definition Marine Pollution Bulletin Elsevier 138 145 147 doi 10 1016 j marpolbul 2018 11 022 ISSN 0025 326X PMID 30660255 S2CID 58550075 Lebreton L Slat B Ferrari F Sainte Rose B Aitken J Marthouse R Hajbane S Cunsolo S Schwarz A 22 March 2018 Evidence that the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is rapidly accumulating plastic Scientific Reports 8 1 4666 Bibcode 2018NatSR 8 4666L doi 10 1038 s41598 018 22939 w ISSN 2045 2322 PMC 5864935 PMID 29568057 S2CID 4093211 Maser Chris 2014 Interactions of Land Ocean and Humans A Global Perspective CRC Press pp 147 48 ISBN 978 1482226393 Great Pacific garbage patch Plastic turning 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