In the middle of the Pacific Ocean, plastic debris gets caught in ocean currents that drag it all together, creating a massive island of trash double the size of Texas

In the Pacific Ocean lie two massive islands of garbage, known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. The Western Garbage Patch is located near Japan, and the Eastern one is in the waters between Hawaii and California. Combined, both patches are estimated to span 1.6 million square kilometers (over 620,000 square miles). This is equivalent to twice the size of Texas, the second largest state in the United States in terms of land, and it is not even an exact measurement. Due to the fact that a lot of marine debris sinks to the ocean floor, the exact size of the patches is unknown. Trillions of pieces of plastic have all found their way into the ocean and were carried to these island patches by various ocean currents.

Part of that problem is because much of the debris consists of microplastics, small pieces of plastic 5 millimeters or less that have flaked off from larger items. These microplastics are also easily ingested by fish and other marine life, which is absolutely damaging to them. The chemicals in the plastic will affect the animals, which can start affecting the food chain as the smaller ones get eaten, and it could eventually make its way up to humans. It is hard to determine the full extent of the effects of them in human bodies due to the fact that we don’t know how long microplastics stay in our bodies, but studies show microplastics harm cells. Microplastics are the most dangerous and harmful part of all the litter in the ocean due to these effects.

Besides humans, the litter in the ocean is harmful to marine life. There are turtles that ingest plastic bags, thinking they are jellyfish, birds that mistake some bits for fish eggs and feed it to their chicks, causing their organs to rupture and other sea animals that die of starvation because their stomach is full of plastic that has no nutrients. Beyond that, some plastics will release methane and ethylene when exposed to sunlight, both of which are greenhouse gasses that contribute to global warming. In addition, the microplastics affect the efficiency of photosynthesis in plankton, which in turn affects the ocean’s ability to absorb carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Microplastic negatively impacts so many parts of life and the environment.

To Get Involved

There are many organizations that fight plastic pollution in the ocean. As most plastic ends up in the ocean, a lot of them are focused on helping reduce the amount there, but there are organizations that aim to reduce the use of plastic in the world overall. For example, the Oceanic Society lowers plastic use by raising awareness of its effects, reducing usage in tourism practices and by supporting coastal communities. The Plastic Soup Foundation based in the Netherlands aims to prevent plastic from entering the environment in the first place. By sharing knowledge and monitoring research related to plastic pollution, the Plastic Soup Foundation educates people and formulates projects to aid in their goal. It also advocates for diminishing individual plastic usage and creating regulations and legislations for decreasing plastic.

To learn more about the Oceanic Society, click here.

To learn more about the Plastic Soup Foundation, click here. 

To learn more about the Plastic Pollution Coalition, click here.

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Katherine Lim is an undergraduate student at Vassar College studying English literature and Italian. She loves both reading and writing, and she hopes to pursue both in the future. With a passion for travel and nature, she wants to experience more of the world and everything it has to offer.