The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, also called the Pacific trash vortex or North Pacific Garbage Patch, is a large area in the central North Pacific Ocean filled with floating debris. It is found roughly between 135°W to 155°W and 35°N to 42°N. The trash and plastic in this area come from countries around the Pacific Rim, including parts of Asia, North America, and South America.
Many people think the garbage patch looks like large islands of trash, but this is not true. The patch has very low density, with only about 4 pieces of debris in each cubic meter of water. This makes it hard to see from space or even for people on boats or diving in the area. Instead, the patch is made up of tiny plastic pieces, often smaller than a fingernail, floating near the ocean’s surface. These tiny pieces are called microplastics.
According to researchers from the Ocean Cleanup project, the garbage patch covers about 1.6 million square kilometers, which is larger than twice the size of Texas. It contains between 45,000 and 129,000 metric tons of plastic as of 2018. By the end of 2024, the Ocean Cleanup had removed over one million pounds of trash from the patch, which is about 0.5% of all the trash collected there. While microplastics are the most common type of debris by number, 92% of the patch’s total weight comes from larger items. Some of the plastic has been in the ocean for more than 50 years and includes things like plastic lighters, toothbrushes, water bottles, pens, baby bottles, cell phones, plastic bags, and nurdles.
Studies show the patch is growing quickly. It is believed to have increased 10 times every decade since 1945. In the gyre, there are about six pounds of plastic for every pound of plankton. A similar area of floating plastic trash is found in the Atlantic Ocean and is called the North Atlantic garbage patch.
History
In 1988, a paper published by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicted the existence of a large area of floating debris in the ocean. This prediction was based on research conducted by scientists in Alaska, who measured plastic floating on the surface of the North Pacific Ocean. They found that ocean currents caused large amounts of marine debris to collect in certain areas. By using findings from the Sea of Japan, they suggested that similar conditions might exist in other parts of the Pacific where ocean currents created stable water conditions. They specifically mentioned the North Pacific Gyre.
In 1997, Charles J. Moore encountered a large area of floating debris while sailing through the North Pacific Gyre after finishing a race across the Pacific Ocean. He informed oceanographer Curtis Ebbesmeyer, who later named the area the "Eastern Garbage Patch" (EGP). This region is often shown in media reports as a major example of ocean pollution.
In 2008, the Algalita Marine Research Foundation organized a sailing trip called the JUNK Raft Project to draw attention to the plastic waste in the Eastern Garbage Patch.
In 2009, two research vessels from Project Kaisei/Ocean Voyages Institute, the New Horizon and the Kaisei, began a voyage to study the patch and explore the possibility of collecting and recycling plastic on a large scale. The Scripps Institute of Oceanography also studied the patch during its 2009 SEAPLEX expedition, which was partly funded by Ocean Voyages Institute/Project Kaisei. Scientists examined the effects of plastic on mesopelagic fish, such as lanternfish.
In 2010, Ocean Voyages Institute conducted a 30-day research trip in the gyre to continue the work from the 2009 expeditions and test early versions of cleanup tools.
In July and August 2012, Ocean Voyages Institute traveled from San Francisco to the northern edge of the North Pacific Gyre, ending in Richmond, British Columbia. They then returned to the gyre for another trip. The main goal of this expedition was to study the spread of debris from the 2011 Japanese earthquake and tsunami.
Sources of the plastic
In 2015, a study found that trash moves eastward from six Asian countries: China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. The study, which used data from 2010, showed that China was responsible for about 30% of plastic pollution in the ocean. In 2017, the Ocean Conservancy reported that China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam together release more plastic into the ocean than all other countries combined. Groups like the Coastal Conservancy, Earth Day, Ocean Cleanup, and World Cleanup Day have worked to reduce trash from land and its effects on the ocean.
A 2019 study estimated that about 80% of ocean plastic comes from land, while the remaining 20% comes from boats and other ocean activities. These numbers change depending on the region. A 2018 study found that nearly half of the mass in the Great Pacific garbage patch is made of synthetic fishing nets, largely because of ocean currents and increased fishing in the Pacific Ocean.
A 2022 study reported that between 75% and 86% of ocean plastic pollution comes from fishing and agriculture. Most of this waste is linked to countries like Japan, China, South Korea, the United States, and Taiwan. A 2020 study identified the United States as the third-largest source of plastic pollution in coastal areas. In 2018, China stopped accepting plastic waste from other countries. After this, countries with weak waste management systems, such as Indonesia, became places where plastic from the United States was dumped.
The study examined 6,093 pieces of debris larger than 5 cm in the North Pacific garbage patch. Of these, 99% of the hard items (which made up 90% of the total weight, or 514 kg) were plastic. These items were sorted, counted, and weighed, and their origins were traced to five industrialized fishing nations, showing the fishing industry’s major role in global plastic waste.
Most of the hard plastic waste includes unidentifiable pieces, fishing and aquaculture equipment like nets, fish boxes, oyster spacers, and eel traps, as well as plastic items used for food, drinks, and household items. These items make up a large part of the floating plastic in the ocean.
The 201 plastic items studied had writing on them. The most common languages found were Chinese, Japanese, English, and Korean, in that order.
The Ocean Cleanup estimated that as much as 86% of ocean plastic comes from fishing activities.
Constitution
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch formed slowly due to ocean pollution collected by ocean currents. It is located in a specific area of the North Pacific Ocean surrounded by the North Pacific Gyre near the horse latitudes. The gyre's movement pulls waste from across the North Pacific, including coastal waters near North America and Japan. As waste is caught in the currents, wind-driven surface currents slowly move it toward the center, trapping it.
In a 2014 study, researchers collected samples from 1,571 locations worldwide and found that discarded fishing gear, such as buoys, lines, and nets, made up more than 60% of the weight of plastic marine debris. A 2011 EPA report stated that the main source of marine debris is improper disposal of trash and products, including plastics, on land and at sea. Debris is created on land near marinas, ports, rivers, and storm drains, and at sea from fishing vessels, platforms, and cargo ships. The size of debris ranges from large abandoned fishing nets to tiny micro-pellets used in cosmetics and cleaners.
A computer model shows that a piece of debris from the U.S. west coast would travel to Asia and return to the U.S. in six years. Debris from the east coast of Asia would reach the U.S. in less than a year. While microplastics make up 94% of the estimated 1.8 trillion plastic pieces, they account for only 8% of the 79,000 metric tons of plastic in the ocean and on land. Most of the remaining plastic comes from the fishing industry.
A 2017 study found that of the 9.1 billion metric tons of plastic made since 1950, nearly 7 billion metric tons are no longer in use. About 9% was recycled, 12% was burned, and the remaining 5.5 billion metric tons are in the oceans and on land.
A 2021 study found that researchers examining plastic from the garbage patch identified more than 40 animal species on 90% of the debris they studied. A 2022 discovery of a thriving ecosystem on the garbage patch suggested that cleaning it up might harm this plastisphere.
A 2023 study found that the plastic supports coastal species living in the open ocean and reproducing. These coastal species, such as jellyfish and sponges, are often found near the western Pacific coast and live alongside open-ocean species on the plastic. Some scientists are worried that this mix of coastal and open-ocean species could create unnatural communities, where coastal creatures might compete with or eat open-ocean species.
Size estimates
The size of the garbage patch is not exact, and the way debris is spread out is also unclear because large items are rare. Most of the debris consists of tiny plastic pieces floating at or just below the water’s surface, making them hard to see from planes or satellites. Instead, scientists measure the size of the patch by collecting samples. The estimated size of the garbage patch is 1,600,000 square kilometers (about twice the size of Texas or three times the size of France). However, these estimates are not certain because sampling is complicated, and there is no clear way to define the edge of the patch where normal and high levels of pollution begin.
In August 2009, the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and Project Kaisei SEAPLEX mission studied the gyre and found plastic debris in 100 samples taken from different depths and using nets of various sizes over a path of 1,700 miles (2,700 kilometers). Although the patch includes some large pieces, most of it is made up of smaller items that become more concentrated near the center of the gyre. These small, visible pieces near the surface suggest the affected area may be smaller than estimated. Data from 2009 on Pacific albatross populations showed there are two separate zones of debris.
In March 2018, The Ocean Cleanup shared results from their Mega- (2015) and Aerial Expedition (2016). In 2015, the group used 30 boats and 652 nets to collect 1.2 million pieces of debris, which they sorted by size. To find larger, less common debris, they flew over the patch in 2016 using a C-130 Hercules aircraft with LiDAR sensors. Their findings showed the patch covers 1.6 million square kilometers (0.62 million square miles) with debris weighing 10–100 kilograms per square kilometer (57–571 pounds per square mile). They estimate the patch contains about 80,000 metric tons (88,000 short tons) of plastic, including 1.8 trillion pieces. About 92% of the weight comes from items larger than 0.5 centimeters (3/16 inch).
Contrary to common belief, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is not visible from space. A 2001 study found 334,721 plastic pieces per square kilometer (866,920 per square mile) in the neuston layer, with an average weight of 5.1 kilograms (11 pounds) per square kilometer. Plastic concentrations were seven times higher than zooplankton in many areas. Deeper water samples showed fewer plastic pieces, mostly monofilament fishing line. In 2012, researchers found microplastic levels in the gyre had increased 100 times over the previous 40 years.
On April 11, 2013, artist Maria Cristina Finucci created The Garbage Patch State at UNESCO in Paris before Director General Irina Bokova. In March 2018, New Scientist reported the patch’s size as approximately 1.6 million square kilometers.
Environmental effects
In 2010, a conference at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) said that while the patch posed a danger to people's way of life, it could be managed. At a conference at IEEE the next year, it was argued that the patch upsets the balance of the original marine ecosystem and gives microorganisms new conditions to live in, which can lead to the creation of a new ecosystem.
Debris removal efforts
In 2009, Ocean Voyages Institute removed more than 5 short tons (4.5 t) of plastic during the first Project Kaisei cleanup effort while testing different cleanup devices. In 2019, during a 25-day expedition, Ocean Voyages Institute set a new record for the biggest cleanup in the garbage patch, removing more than 40 metric tons (44 short tons) of plastic from the ocean. In 2020, during two expeditions, Ocean Voyages Institute again set a record for the largest cleanup, removing 170 short tons (150 t; 340,000 lb) of plastic from the ocean. The first 45-day expedition removed 103 short tons (93 t; 206,000 lb) of plastic, and the second expedition removed 67 short tons (61 t) of plastic from the garbage patch. In 2022, during two summer expeditions, Ocean Voyages Institute removed 148 short tons (134 t; 296,000 lb) of plastic, including ghostnets, consumer items, and mixed plastic debris from the garbage patch.
On September 9, 2018, the first collection system was sent to the gyre to begin collecting plastic. This first test of the Ocean Cleanup Project started moving its "Ocean Cleanup System 001" from San Francisco to a trial site 240 nautical miles (440 km; 280 mi) away. The first test of "Ocean Cleanup System 001" lasted four months and helped the research team improve the design of "System 001/B."
In 2021, the Ocean Cleanup collected 63,182 pounds (28,659 kg; 31.591 short tons; 28.659 t) of plastic using "System 002." The mission began in July 2021 and ended on October 14, 2021. In July 2022, the Ocean Cleanup announced it had removed the first 100,000 kilograms (220,000 lb; 100 t; 110 short tons) of plastic from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch using "System 002" and announced its switch to "System 03," which is said to be 10 times more effective than its predecessor. In April 2024, the Ocean Cleanup celebrated removing 10 million kg of trash, and just seven months later, in November 2024, they reached 20 million kg of trash removed.
The 2012 Algalita/5 Gyres Asia Pacific Expedition started in the Marshall Islands on May 1, studied the garbage patch, and collected samples for the 5 Gyres Institute, Algalita Marine Research Foundation, and other institutions, including NOAA, Scripps, IPRC, and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. In 2012, the Sea Education Association conducted research in the gyre. These expeditions performed 118 tows and counted nearly 70,000 pieces of plastic.