The Pacific Trash Vortex is
estimated to be twice
the size of Texas.
estimated to be twice
the size of Texas.
Just a few pictures of the Pacific Trash Vortex
The Pacific trash vortex is a collection of marine debris in the North Pacific Ocean. The garbage patch is actually two different collections of debris connected by the North Pacific Gyre. The Vortex is located between 135°W to 155°W and 35°N and 42°N.
It is garbage from the land that is polluting our oceans, choking and trapping millions of fish and animals. The water circulates clockwise in a slow spiral. Winds are light and the currents usually push any floating material into the low energy center of the gyre (vortex or spiral). There are few islands that end up getting some of the floating material. So most of it stays there in the gyre. In astounding quantities, estimated at 13 pounds of plastic for 2 pounds of plankton. It is an area larger than a many countries including Angola, that slowly rotates our trash in a never-ending rotation.