Myth. UPDATED FEBRUARY 7, 2. While everything may be bigger in Texas, some reports about the . Morishige explains this misnomer: While it's true that these areas have a higher concentration of plastic than other parts of the ocean, much of the debris found in these areas are small bits of plastic (microplastics) that are suspended throughout the water column. A comparison I like to use is that the debris is more like flecks of pepper floating throughout a bowl of soup, rather than a skim of fat that accumulates (or sits) on the surface.
She's not downplaying the significance of microplastics. They are nearly ubiquitous today—degrading into tiny bits from a range of larger plastic items . These natural gathering points appear where rotating currents, winds, and other ocean features converge to accumulate marine debris, as well as plankton, seaweed, and other sea life.
The NOAA Marine Debris website and blog have lots of great information and references if you want to learn more about the garbage patch issue. Looking for more information about the.
Jeopardy champ Ken Jennings explains the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, the massive—and scary—island of plastic and trash that floats in the Pacific Ocean. Twice the size of Texas, the remote Eastern Pacific Garbage Patch is home to much of the world's plastic trash, and now a scientific expedition has documented the.
- This map is an oversimplification of ocean currents, features, and areas of marine debris accumulation (including 'garbage patches') in the Pacific Ocean.
- The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a collection of marine debris in the North Pacific Ocean. Marine debris is litter that ends up in oceans, seas, and other large.
- You've probably heard of the 'Pacific garbage patch,' also called the 'trash vortex.' It's a region of the North Pacific ocean where the northern jet stream and the.
- The Garbage Patch is an area in the North Pacific Ocean containing a high concentration of marine debris.
- Bad catch: Scientists have discovered that the amount of plastic in the 'Great Pacific Garbage Patch' has increased hundredfold since the early 1970s.