The Great Pacific The Great Pacific Garbage PatchGarbage Patch

Niki AhmadiNiki Ahmadi

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What is it?What is it?

A wide range of mostly confetti sized A wide range of mostly confetti sized pieces of trash floating together in a large pieces of trash floating together in a large mass in the Pacific ocean.mass in the Pacific ocean.

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What does it look like?What does it look like? Not easily visibleNot easily visible Like “confetti soup”Like “confetti soup” Size relatively unknownSize relatively unknown Estimated at 270,000 square miles Estimated at 270,000 square miles

(Texas) to 16,000,000 square miles(Texas) to 16,000,000 square miles Has a depth of 100 feetHas a depth of 100 feet

How did it get there?How did it get there? North Pacific GyreNorth Pacific Gyre California CurrentCalifornia Current North Equatorial CurrentNorth Equatorial Current Kuroshio Current Kuroshio Current North Pacific CurrentNorth Pacific Current

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How did it get there?How did it get there? Existence predicted in 1988Existence predicted in 1988 Has been forming since 1960’sHas been forming since 1960’s Takes several years to travel from North Takes several years to travel from North

AmericaAmerica One year from AsiaOne year from Asia

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How did it get there?How did it get there? As plastic production increases the mass As plastic production increases the mass

increasesincreases In 1999, .02 grams per square meterIn 1999, .02 grams per square meter In 2005, .04 grams per square meterIn 2005, .04 grams per square meter Within that time period plastic production Within that time period plastic production

increased by double digits. Reaching 113 increased by double digits. Reaching 113 billion pounds.billion pounds.

How did it get there?How did it get there?

80 % of the garbage comes from the land80 % of the garbage comes from the land 20 % percents from ships20 % percents from ships A 3000 passenger Cruise-Ship creates 8 A 3000 passenger Cruise-Ship creates 8

tons of garbage weeklytons of garbage weekly

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EffectsEffects 100 million tons of trash100 million tons of trash The world produces 200 billion pounds of The world produces 200 billion pounds of

plastic each year, about 10 percent ends plastic each year, about 10 percent ends up in the oceanup in the ocean

Every square mile of ocean hosts 46,000 Every square mile of ocean hosts 46,000 pieces of floating plasticpieces of floating plastic

70 percent of the plastic floats to the 70 percent of the plastic floats to the bottom of the oceanbottom of the ocean

EffectsEffects Marine animals mistake non- biodegradable Marine animals mistake non- biodegradable

plastic for planktonplastic for plankton Plastic outweighs surface zooplankton 6 to 1Plastic outweighs surface zooplankton 6 to 1 Leaks toxic chemical into the ocean and into the Leaks toxic chemical into the ocean and into the

marine lifemarine life Including :Including : PCB’sPCB’s DDT’sDDT’s PAH’sPAH’s All are toxic and dangerous to the immune systemAll are toxic and dangerous to the immune system

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EffectsEffects Large trash can trap animalsLarge trash can trap animals Facilitates the spread of invasive species which Facilitates the spread of invasive species which

can attach to the debriscan attach to the debris Humans eat fish and are affected by hazardous Humans eat fish and are affected by hazardous

toxinstoxins The plastic debris affects at least 267 species The plastic debris affects at least 267 species

world wideworld wide

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What is being done?What is being done? No one country’s responsibility.No one country’s responsibility. GPGPT (Great Pacific Garbage Patch GPGPT (Great Pacific Garbage Patch

Treaty)Treaty) No UN nation has signed to take No UN nation has signed to take

responsibilityresponsibility Trash is hard to clean up due to sizeTrash is hard to clean up due to size Satellites cannot detect debrisSatellites cannot detect debris

What is being done?What is being done?

ECC (Environmental Cleanup Coalition)ECC (Environmental Cleanup Coalition) SEAPLEX expeditionSEAPLEX expedition Project Kaisei Project Kaisei JUNK raft project organized by The JUNK raft project organized by The

Algalita Marine Research FoundationAlgalita Marine Research Foundation

Picture linksPicture links http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=the+grea

t+garbage+patch&view=detail&id=A22EE478C2407137425E1E8C1BF166B64CE301AB&first=0&FORM=IDFRIR

http://www.sail-world.com/photos_2010/Med_Garbage patch in the Atlantic - aerial view.jpg

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_uMyIdl_4lnQ/THXhmBYdACI/AAAAAAAAAeA/Z00SPaFbXVM/s200/trash.jpg

Picture linksPicture links http://www.bing.com/images/search?http://www.bing.com/images/search?

q=cruise+ship&view=detail&id=8AFB46F029A78q=cruise+ship&view=detail&id=8AFB46F029A78BDD187D9AF7706771DF2DEF2FE9&first=0&FBDD187D9AF7706771DF2DEF2FE9&first=0&FORM=IDFRIRORM=IDFRIR

http://www.bing.com/images/search?http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=the+great+pacific+garbage+patch&view=detaiq=the+great+pacific+garbage+patch&view=detail&id=B0A5ACFB91B271C88B5CF5242ABDD94l&id=B0A5ACFB91B271C88B5CF5242ABDD9424BDCBA6D&first=0&FORM=IDFRIR24BDCBA6D&first=0&FORM=IDFRIR

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_NlTvGnXHI4c/http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_NlTvGnXHI4c/S0qBK8hi_DI/AAAAAAAAAJQ/rkmeM3XiAL0/S0qBK8hi_DI/AAAAAAAAAJQ/rkmeM3XiAL0/s400/25.jpgs400/25.jpg

Articles UsedArticles Used• Hoshaw, Lindsey. “Afloat in the Ocean, Expanding Islands of

Trash.” New York Times 9 Nov. 2009: n. pag. Afloat in the Ocean, Expanding Islands of Trash. Web. 17 Aug. 2011. <http://www.nytimes.com////science/patch.html>.

• Sohn, Emily. “Great Garbage Patch Not so Great after All.” Discovery 12 Jan. 2011: n. pag. discovery news. Web. 7 Aug. 2011. <http://news.discovery.com//ocean-garbage-patch-exaggerated-110112.html>.

• Thomas, Kostigen M. “The World’s Largest Dump: The Great Pacific Garbage Patch.” Discover Magazine 10 July 2008: n. pag. discovermagazine.com. Web. 7 Aug. 2011. <http://discovermagazine.com///-the-worlds-largest-dump>.