Social Studies: The Great Pacific Garbage Patch

Hi there!

Today I will be writing about what I have been learning about in Social Studies recently, The Great Pacific Garbage Patch. 

What is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and where is it?

The GPGP (Great Pacific Garbage Patch) is a large plastic grouping offshore. It is the largest of 5 offshore plastic accumulation groups in the ocean. The GPGP is located halfway between California and Hawaii. The GPGP is twice the size of the state of Texas in the U.S.A., or, 3 times the size of France. This also translates to 1.6 million square kilometers. 

It's estimates that 1.15-2.41 million tonnes of plastic enters the ocean through rivers every year. More than half of this plastic is less dense than the ocean, meaning that once it enters the ocean, it will never sink. 

The stronger plastics (interestingly more buoyant plastics too) show strong resiliency in a marine environment, This lets them be transported throughout the sea for extended distances. Eventually after much persistence, they make their way to the Garbage Patch and starts to become microplastic particles. 

How is it impacting the environment in a negative way? 

It is impacting the environment negatively in plenty of ways, here is a facts list of what is happening:

- The ocean is becoming more acidic and polluted

- If nothing is done, coral reefs may cease to exist in the next century

- If we don't do anything about ocean pollution, by 2050 the ocean will be filled with 50% of plastic and 50% of fish

- Plastic in the patch doesn't just stay in one place, it moves with the currents of the ocean. A plastic bottle could take 3-5 years to travel from California to Japan.

- Animals mistake microplastics for food, and eat them. These plastics stay with them until they die and carry on 'living' much longer than any of their lifetimes.

- It is estimated that there are at least 500 times more microplastics in the ocean than there are stars in the Milky Way galaxy. 

- The GPGP is actually mostly filled with single-use plastic such as plastic cutlery and bags.

-Not entirely related, but a cool fact: 

Marine animals like dolphins and whales come up to breathe, they are actually fertilising phytoplankton. These phytoplankton take in 3-4 more times of carbon dioxide than the whole Amazonian forest per year.

So, if these animals die, the ocean dies, and then, eventually we die too. 

What is being done to help with this problem?

Fortunately, people are becoming more aware of this issue. People are being more mindful with what they are purchasing and not buying single-use plastics. Simple things like owning a reusable drink bottle, using reusable bags are a great way to help. Researchers are also taking plastic and seeing when it was made and where it comes from, so they can get a better idea of what plastic is out there and how to combat it. 

What do YOU think?

It's a really sobering thought, thinking that an animal that swallows just even one piece of plastic will die. But the plastic they consume will carry on living for much longer than its lifetime. To me the designed life of plastic is artificial and unnatural. It’s designed to repel all natural forces, it is an alien to this planet. If you think about it, plastic has a life of what we associate with Mythological gods from Greece and Rome; endless. 

Thanks for reading!