What can you do to help?

We as humans have a responsibility to take care of this earth that we have that provides everything we have. Before we inhabited this planet the world was in a delicate balance but when we showed up and advanced we threw this balance off. The earth now has problems that we as humans have caused. All of these things could have been easily avoided if we could have thought about the consequences of the decisions we made and showed compassion towards the other organisms that inhabit this planet. Fortunately, all is not lost! We still have time to fix what we have created and it all starts with ourselves.

There are many steps that we can all take to ensure that this problem is fixed. Simple actions like not littering and disposing of dangerous chemicals properly can go a long way. Some more active responses that can be done are organizing beach clean ups and informing the government and businesses about your concerns. If enough focus is shifted on this issue then things can be changed. Joining an organization is one of the most effective steps that can be taken to help this cause. There are multiple organizations that are working to solve this problem and they are looking for support anywhere you can get it and as a collective unit we all can make strides toward a better future.

What are the consequences of this?

Oceans have been described as some of the most diverse and productive ecosystems on earth.The Pacific Ocean itself is home to some of the most fascinating creatures and habitats on the planet but the fact is one of the largest garbage dumps in the world is located right in the center of it. This results in major consequences for both us and the wildlife that inhabit this ocean.

With the Great Pacific Garbage Patch being compose mainly of plastic, it is fitting that this material causes the death of thousands of marine animals per year. Due to the nature of plastic, this floating debris never fully degrades. Naturally, it only breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces making it much easier for aquatic life to consume. Studies have shown that plastic particles outnumber zoo plankton by a 6:1 ratio. Similarly to most oceans, zoo plankton is the main source of food for the smaller organisms. These smaller animals are forced to determine what to consume between the plentiful amounts of plastic and the scarce plankton. The animals often choose wrong and die because of the inability to digest these toxins. As for the larger creatures of the Pacific, feeding is no easier. Birds and sea turtles are often found washed on shore with plastic clogged in their stomachs. You may assume that this pollution wouldn't be a problem for animals at the top of the food chain but it is just as devastating to them. Sharks and dolphins feed off these smaller animals and receive higher concentrations of the toxic plastics. There are multiple other examples of the affects of this pollution on marine life but maybe more shocking are the affects it has on humans.

Here a baby sea turtle mistakes plastic as his food source.

Finding birds on shore filled with plastic is not an uncommon thing around the Pacific Ocean.

I, like many people, love seafood. From sushi to tuna, there isnt any kind of seafood I wont try. In many countries seafood, such as lobster, is a rare delicacy. With all of this seafood being consumed the possibility of toxic chemicals being ingested is highly likely. Multiple studies have shown that the toxic levels in fish have sky rocketed, as a matter of fact, warnings have gone out informing people of the possiblity of being poisoned by seafood. Some of the effects of this poisoning could be disease, mutation, infertility and many others. If people find no reason to help fix this problem from the effects on wildlife, I hope they understand the effects it can have on themselves and even their children.

How did this happen?

An image of the North Pacific Gyre and the currents that created "The Garbage Patch"

Urban and industrial runoff is a main source of marine pollution. Here a factory disposes of its wastes in a local body of water

Shipping pollution is a point source that usually is directly disposed into ocean waters as shown above.

The ocean, a world of beauty and mystery, has become very tainted by the actions of mankind. All over the world people have grown into habits that have been discovered to have severe consequences on the ocean. In a world dominated by money and making profit, people have seemed to always try to find the easy way of doing things, particularly disposing of their wastes. In some cases, marine pollution occurs by chance, but in most cases it is the result of laziness and an overall lack of consideration.

Marine pollution comes from multiple sources. The sources are usually separated into two different categories, point sources and non-point sources. Point source pollution occurs when there is a single, identifiable source of the pollution. Examples of this would be the direct discharge of sewage, shipping and  industrial waste or even polluted storm drains which is often the case in urban areas. Non-point source pollution occurs when the pollution is diffused or the location of the pollution entry is unidentifiable. Prime examples of this would be agricultural runoff and wind blown debris.

Once the pollution has been exposed to the ocean it enters oceanic currents known as "horse latitudes." These currents move in a rotational pattern in the North Pacific Ocean known as the North Pacific Gyre. As the polluted currents rotate, wind-driven surface currents push this debris towards the stagnant waters in the center of the gyre where it remains trapped creating "The Garbage Patch."

What is "The Garbage Patch"?

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a region located in the Pacific Ocean that is characterized by extremely concentrated marine pollution, predominately pelagic plastics. This "trash vortex" is caused by the currents that make up the North Pacific Gyre. These currents rotate in a pattern that causes any marine pollution off the coasts of North America and Japan to flow towards the center of the gyre where it is trapped. This pollution has collected and grown to be estimated as covering an area as large as twice the size of the state of Texas.

Introduction

Imagine living in a city covered in trash. Everywhere you look you see trash. You can feel the germs and filth in your lungs with each breath you take. When you go grocery shopping the products are surrounded by rubbish and old wrappers that resemble the very food you need. It becomes a difficult task to determine the trash from the food. On your way home from the store you trudge your way through piles of garbage only to arrive at a home that is just as dirty as the rest of the community.

It is doubtful that anyone in their right mind would ever want to live in or cause someone else to live in an environment like the one described above. Despite this, everyday we contribute to an environment like that for all the organisms of the North Pacific Ocean.