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The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, also known as the Pacific Trash Vortex and the North Pacific Garbage Patch, is a gyre of marine debris particles in the central North Pacific Ocean. It is located roughly from 135°W to 155°W and 35°N to 42°N, halfway between Hawaii and California. The patch is formed by the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre, which is made up of four currents—the California Current, the North Equatorial Current, the Kuroshio Current, and the North Pacific Current—rotating clockwise around an area of 20 million square kilometers. This gyre draws in waste material from across the North Pacific, including coastal waters off North America and Japan. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is the largest of the five offshore plastic accumulation zones in the world's oceans and has been the focus of multiple cleanup voyages and expeditions.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name | Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP) |
| Other Names | Pacific trash vortex, North Pacific Garbage Patch, Eastern Garbage Patch |
| Location | North Pacific Ocean, halfway between Hawaii and California |
| Coordinates | 135°W to 155°W and 35°N to 42°N |
| Size | 1.6 million square kilometres (620,000 square miles) |
| Weight | 45,000–129,000 metric tons (50,000–150,000 U.S. tons) |
| Composition | Marine debris, plastic waste, microplastics, fishing gear, manufacturing products, etc. |
| Impact | Negative effects on marine life, vessel damage, navigation hazards, potential human health risks |
| Cleanup Efforts | The Ocean Cleanup removed over 1 million pounds of trash by the end of 2024 |
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What You'll Learn
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch
The GPGP is one of five offshore plastic accumulation zones in the world's oceans. It is estimated that 1.15 to 2.41 million tonnes of plastic are entering the ocean each year from rivers, with the stronger, more buoyant plastics being transported over extended distances by converging currents before accumulating in the patch. The North Pacific Subtropical Gyre, formed by four currents (the California Current, the North Equatorial Current, the Kuroshio Current, and the North Pacific Current) rotating clockwise, draws waste material from across the North Pacific into the centre of the gyre, where it becomes trapped.
Research indicates that the patch is rapidly accumulating, with predictions of it increasing "10-fold each decade" since 1945. By the end of 2024, the Ocean Cleanup had removed more than one million pounds of trash from the GPGP, or 0.5% of the total accumulated trash. A 2018 study reported that synthetic fishing nets made up nearly half the mass of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, largely due to ocean current dynamics and increased fishing activity in the Pacific Ocean. Similarly, a 2014 study found that discarded fishing gear accounted for more than 60% of the mass of plastic marine debris.
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The Eastern Garbage Patch
Efforts to clean up the Eastern Garbage Patch have been undertaken by organisations such as Ocean Voyages Institute, Project Kaisei, and Ocean Cleanup. By the end of 2024, Ocean Cleanup had removed more than one million pounds of trash from the patch, or 0.5% of the total accumulated trash. Scientists and explorers agree that the best way to clean up the patch is to limit or eliminate the use of disposable plastics and increase the use of biodegradable resources.
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The Western Garbage Patch
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP) is the largest accumulation of plastic in the open ocean. It is located in the central North Pacific Ocean, halfway between Hawaii and California. The GPGP is the largest of the five offshore plastic accumulation zones in the world's oceans. It is formed by the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre, which is made up of four currents: the California Current, the North Equatorial Current, the Kuroshio Current, and the North Pacific Current. These currents create a rotational pattern that draws in waste material from across the North Pacific, including coastal waters off North America and Japan.
The GPGP is made up of two main patches: the Western Garbage Patch and the Eastern Garbage Patch. The Western Garbage Patch is located near Japan, while the Eastern Garbage Patch is located between Hawaii and California. These patches are linked together by the North Pacific Subtropical Convergence Zone, located a few hundred kilometers north of Hawaii. This zone acts as a highway, moving debris from one patch to another.
Efforts to clean up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch are ongoing. By the end of 2024, the Ocean Cleanup had removed more than one million pounds of trash from the patch, but this only represented 0.5% of the total accumulated trash. Scientists and explorers agree that limiting or eliminating the use of disposable plastics and increasing the use of biodegradable resources will be crucial for effectively cleaning up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
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The North Pacific Subtropical Convergence Zone
The North Pacific Subtropical Gyre, one of the five major oceanic gyres, covers most of the northern Pacific Ocean. It is formed by four prevailing ocean currents: the North Pacific Current, the California Current, the North Equatorial Current, and the Kuroshio Current. These currents create a clockwise circular pattern, drawing in waste material from the North Pacific, including coastal waters off North America and Japan. The gyre's rotational pattern and the wind-driven surface currents work together to trap debris in its centre.
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is not a solid mass of trash but consists of microscopic particles, primarily in the upper water column. This low density of debris, estimated at 4 particles per cubic metre, makes it difficult to detect through satellite imagery or even by casual boaters or divers in the area. However, the impact of this pollution is significant, as it blocks sunlight from reaching plankton and algae, disrupting marine food webs and affecting various species, including fish, turtles, and apex predators like tuna, sharks, and whales.
Efforts to address the Pacific Gyre ocean pollution have been undertaken by organisations such as the Coastal Conservancy, Earth Day, Ocean Cleanup, and World Cleanup Day. The consensus among scientists and explorers is that reducing or eliminating the use of disposable plastics and transitioning to biodegradable or reusable materials are crucial steps in mitigating this environmental issue.
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The North Pacific Subtropical Gyre
The GPGP is a garbage patch, a gyre of marine debris particles, in the central North Pacific Ocean. It is located roughly from 135°W to 155°W and 35°N to 42°N, halfway between Hawaii and California. The GPGP is made up of the Western Garbage Patch, 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 that moves debris from one patch to another.
The GPGP formed gradually as a result of ocean or marine pollution gathered by ocean currents. It is estimated that 1.15 to 2.41 million tonnes of plastic are entering the ocean each year from rivers, with more than half of this plastic being less dense than water, meaning it will not sink. Once these plastics enter the gyre, they are unlikely to leave until they degrade into smaller microplastics. A 2014 study found that discarded fishing gear such as buoys, lines, and nets accounted for more than 60% of the mass of plastic marine debris.
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Frequently asked questions
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is located in the central North Pacific Ocean, halfway between Hawaii and California.
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a collection of marine debris in the North Pacific Ocean. It is also known as the Pacific trash vortex and spans waters from the West Coast of North America to Japan.
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch covers 1.6 million square kilometres (620,000 square miles) and consists of 45,000–129,000 metric tons of debris. While the patch is believed to be rapidly accumulating, it is hard to determine its exact size as the trash is constantly moving with ocean currents and winds.
The North Pacific Gyre is a two-gyre circulation in the North Pacific driven by trade and westerly winds. It is formed by four currents—the California, North Equatorial, Kuroshio, and North Pacific currents—rotating clockwise around an area of 20 million square kilometers.
The North Pacific Gyre's rotational pattern draws in waste material from across the North Pacific, including coastal waters off North America and Japan. The gyre's circular motion pulls debris toward its stable center, trapping it. This debris includes microplastics, abandoned fishing nets, and larger items such as plastic bottles.
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