In a study published on April 17, researchers from Canada, the Netherlands, and the U.S. have reported that coastal lifeforms have colonised plastic items in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
Great Pacific Garbage Patch
- There are some water currents in the oceans that, driven by winds and the Coriolis force, form loops. These are called gyres.
- The North Pacific Subtropical Gyre (NPSG) is one such, located just north of the equator in the Pacific Ocean. It consists of the Kuroshio, North Pacific, California, and North Equatorial currents and moves in a clockwise direction.
- These currents flow adjacent to 51 Pacific Rim countries. Any trash that enters one of these currents, from any of these countries, could become part of the gyre.
- Inside this gyre, lies a long east-west strip where some of the debris in these currents has collected over the years. The eastern part of this is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. It is, per one estimate, 1.6 million sq. km big and more than 50 years old.
- The patch contains an estimated 45,000-1,29,000 metric tonnes of plastic, predominantly in the form of microplastics. The numerical density of plastics here is around 4 particles per cubic metre.
About gyre
- A gyre is a large system of rotating ocean currents. There are five major gyres, which are large systems of rotating ocean currents.
- The ocean churns up various types of currents. Together, these larger and more permanent currents make up the systems of currents known as gyres. Wind, tides, and differences in temperature and salinity drive ocean currents.
- The ocean churns up different types of currents, such as eddies, whirlpools, or deep ocean currents. Larger, sustained currents—the Gulf Stream, for example—go by proper names. Taken together, these larger and more permanent currents make up the systems of currents known as gyres.
- There are five major gyres: the North and South Pacific Subtropical Gyres, the North and South Atlantic Subtropical Gyres, and the Indian Ocean Subtropical Gyre.
- In some instances, the term “gyre” is used to refer to the collections of plastic waste and other debris found in higher concentrations in certain parts of the ocean.
- While this use of “gyre” is increasingly common, the term traditionally refers simply to large, rotating ocean currents.
