Bronte Wells
Gyres are large systems of rotating ocean currents that circulate ocean waters. There are five gyres: the North Atlantic Gyre, the South Atlantic Gyre, the North Pacific Gyre, the South Pacific Gyre, and the Indian Ocean Gyre. These gyres are being polluted by marine debris, primarily plastic pollution, which is having detrimental effects on marine life and ecosystems. The most well-known example of this is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch located in the North Pacific Gyre, but other patches of garbage are forming in each of the five gyres due to the effects of ocean currents.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of gyres | 5 |
| Names of gyres | North Atlantic Gyre, South Atlantic Gyre, North Pacific Gyre, South Pacific Gyre, Indian Ocean Gyre |
| Impact of gyres | Drive the oceanic conveyor belt that circulates ocean waters globally |
| Gyres and pollution | Gyres draw in pollution released in coastal areas, known as marine debris |
| Examples of garbage patches | Great Pacific Garbage Patch, Western Garbage Patch, Eastern Garbage Patch |
| Composition of garbage patches | Plastic and other debris of various sizes, including microplastics, small-scale plastic pellets, fishing nets, consumer goods, and appliances |
| Impact of garbage patches | Ecosystem and environmental problems, contamination of oceans with toxic chemicals, contribution to greenhouse gas emissions, ingestion by marine animals |
| Sources of plastic pollution | Human activities, nonpoint source pollution (runoff from septic tanks, vehicles, farms, etc.), point source pollution (oil spills, chemical spills, faulty factories), atmospheric deposition |
| Solutions | Limit or eliminate disposable plastic use, increase biodegradable alternatives, social media and direct action campaigns |
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What You'll Learn
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch
The garbage patch is made up of the Western Garbage Patch, located near Japan, and the Eastern Garbage Patch, located between Hawaii and California. These areas of spinning debris are linked together by the North Pacific Subtropical Convergence Zone, located a few hundred kilometres north of Hawaii. This convergence zone acts like a highway, moving debris from one patch to another. The entire Great Pacific Garbage Patch is bounded by the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre, formed by four currents rotating clockwise around an area of 20 million square kilometres. The gyre's circular motion draws debris into its stable centre, where it becomes trapped.
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Plastic pollution
The most well-known example of plastic pollution in a gyre is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, located in the North Pacific Gyre. This garbage patch has the highest density of marine debris and plastic, with plastic waste and debris broken down into small particles in the ocean. The patch spans waters from the West Coast of North America to Japan and is made up of the Western Garbage Patch and the Eastern Garbage Patch, linked by the North Pacific Subtropical Convergence Zone. The circular motion of the gyre draws debris into its stable center, where it becomes trapped. The amount of debris in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch continues to accumulate as much of the plastic is not biodegradable and simply breaks into tinier pieces over time.
In addition to the North Pacific Gyre, the other gyres are also experiencing plastic pollution. Researchers have discovered areas of concentrated marine debris in the South Pacific Ocean and the North Atlantic, with plastic pollution ubiquitous across all ocean basins, ecosystems, and habitats. The Indian Ocean Gyre and the South Atlantic Gyre, bordered by the Intertropical Convergence Zone in the north and the Antarctic Circumpolar Current in the south, are also affected by plastic pollution. The North Atlantic Gyre, located in the northern hemisphere in the Atlantic Ocean, is influenced by the North Equatorial Current, which brings warm waters west towards the Caribbean and joins the warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico to form the Gulf Stream.
The plastic pollution in these gyres has severe ecological consequences. Marine debris, including microplastics, derelict fishing gear, and abandoned vessels, contaminates oceans with toxic chemicals and contributes to greenhouse gas emissions. These human-caused collections of plastic and debris harm marine life, with heavy metals and other contaminants accumulating in seafood, making it harmful for human consumption. The impact of plastic pollution extends beyond the gyres, with coastal areas, shallow bays, estuaries, and beaches also affected by plastic pollution.
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Marine debris
The North Pacific Gyre is one of the five gyres in the ocean, with the others being the South Pacific Gyre, the North Atlantic Gyre, the South Atlantic Gyre, and the Indian Ocean Gyre. Each of these gyres contains garbage patches of varying sizes. The patches are formed by the large, rotating ocean currents of the gyres, which pull debris into the centre of the gyre, where it becomes trapped. The debris in these patches can be found from the surface of the ocean to more than 30 metres deep in the water.
The marine debris in these gyres is caused by the increasing plastic pollution generated by human populations. Plastic pollution in the ocean began in the central gyres, thousands of kilometres from land, and has now spread to all ocean basins, ecosystems, habitats, and food webs. Plastic debris is now found in seafood and sea salt, and microplastics have been ingested by fish and other species that filter their food from the water. Plastic pollution has also been found to affect seabirds, with plastic litter observed in songbird nests.
The majority of plastic pollution in the ocean comes from human activities along coastlines and far inland. One of the biggest sources of pollution is nonpoint source pollution, which occurs as a result of runoff from sources such as septic tanks, vehicles, farms, and timber harvest areas. Point source pollution, which comes from a single source such as an oil or chemical spill, occurs less often but can have large impacts. To address the issue of marine debris in gyres, organisations are advocating for the reduction or elimination of disposable plastics and the increased use of biodegradable resources.
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Human pollution sources
Gyres are large systems of ocean surface currents that move in a circular fashion, driven by wind movements. The Coriolis effect causes gyres, and planetary vorticity, horizontal friction, and vertical friction determine the circulatory patterns from the wind stress curl. The largest ocean gyres are wind-driven, and their locations and dynamics are controlled by the prevailing global wind patterns.
Gyres are a significant contributor to the oceanic conveyor belt that circulates ocean waters globally. While they circulate ocean waters, they also draw in the pollution that humans release in coastal areas, known as marine debris. This debris includes tiny microplastics, smaller than 5 mm, and larger items such as derelict fishing gear and abandoned vessels. Marine debris can have detrimental effects on marine life, contaminating oceans with toxic chemicals and threatening the habitats they depend on. It can also interfere with navigation safety and potentially pose a threat to human health.
The atmosphere is a significant pathway for microplastics to reach the ocean, with studies suggesting that smaller particles from faraway sources are deposited during dry events. Once in the ocean, currents provide transport pathways for plastics, with early studies demonstrating the occurrence of long-range transport via wind and surface currents.
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, located in the North Pacific Gyre, is a well-known example of a gyre's tendency to accumulate trash. It spans waters from the West Coast of North America to Japan and is made up of the Western Garbage Patch and the Eastern Garbage Patch, linked by the North Pacific Subtropical Convergence Zone. This garbage patch has a high density of marine debris, primarily plastic, and its impact on the marine food web is significant. As microplastics and other trash collect on or near the ocean's surface, they block sunlight from reaching plankton and algae, threatening these communities and potentially altering the entire food web.
Addressing the issue of ocean plastic pollution requires significant changes on land, including reducing plastic consumption, substituting plastic with compostable materials, increasing recycling, and improving waste management practices. Organizations such as the Plastic Pollution Coalition and the Plastic Oceans Foundation are actively working to support the transition from disposable plastics to biodegradable or reusable materials.
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Gyres' impact on marine life
Gyres are large systems of ocean surface currents that circulate in a circular fashion, driven by wind movements and the Coriolis effect. There are five major gyres: the North Atlantic Gyre, the South Atlantic Gyre, the North Pacific Gyre, the South Pacific Gyre, and the Indian Ocean Gyre. These gyres have a significant impact on the ocean and its ecosystems, including marine life.
One of the most well-known impacts of gyres on marine life is the problem of plastic pollution. Gyres tend to collect marine debris, particularly plastic, from coastal areas and human trash collection systems. The most famous example is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, located in the North Pacific Gyre, which has the highest density of marine debris and plastic. These patches of plastic pollution are not compact and can be found at various depths in the water, with plastic debris of varying sizes, from microplastics to large objects such as fishing nets and consumer goods. This plastic pollution has been found to contaminate seafood and sea salt, impacting the entire marine food web.
Another way gyres impact marine life is through the entanglement of animals in discarded fishing gear, such as nets. This phenomenon is known as ghost fishing, as the nets continue to entangle and capture marine animals even after being abandoned. In shallow seas, nets can also sink onto coral reefs, damaging the coral and fish habitats.
Gyres also play a crucial role in maintaining the balance of heat in the ocean and distributing nutrients essential for marine life. They influence the physical and biological characteristics of the marine environment, affecting the distribution of sea ice and regional climate patterns. Additionally, gyres can create biodiversity hotspots and contribute to waste accumulation.
The impact of gyres on marine ecosystems is further exacerbated by human activities such as overfishing and deep-sea mining. Overfishing in gyre surroundings due to upwelling and nutrient convergence zones has led to population declines and the disruption of trophic dynamics. Deep-sea mining within ocean gyres disturbs the seafloor, creating sediment plumes that can smother organisms and disrupt stable ecological processes in deep oceans.
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Frequently asked questions
A gyre is a large wind-driven surface current that moves in a circular motion due to the Earth's rotation. There are five main subtropical gyres: the North and South Atlantic, the North and South Pacific, and the Indian Ocean.
All five of the main gyres are being polluted by human-caused collections of plastic and other debris, which are known as "garbage patches". The most famous example is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch located in the North Pacific Gyre.
Garbage patches are areas where a "'soup'" of marine debris collects. They are formed by the effects of ocean currents and increasing plastic pollution by human populations. They are constantly changing size and shape due to winds and currents.
