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 located between 135°W to 155°W longitude and 35°N to 42°N latitude. The trash and plastic in this area come from countries around the Pacific Rim, including parts of Asia, North America, and South America.
Although many people imagine the patch as large islands of floating trash, it is actually made up of very small pieces of plastic and debris. These pieces are so spread out and light that they are hard to see from satellites or even from boats and divers nearby. Most of the trash is tiny, often smaller than a fingernail, and is called microplastics.
According to researchers from The Ocean Cleanup project, the patch covers about 1.6 million square kilometers (620,000 square miles) and contains between 45,000 and 129,000 metric tons (50,000 to 142,000 short tons) of plastic as of 2018. By 2024, the project had removed over one million pounds of trash from the area, which is about 0.5% of the total trash collected. While most of the trash is tiny microplastics, 92% of the patch’s weight comes from larger items, such as plastic lighters, toothbrushes, water bottles, pens, baby bottles, cell phones, plastic bags, and nurdles. Some of the plastic has been in the ocean for more than 50 years.
Studies show the patch is growing quickly. It is believed to have increased 10 times every decade since 1945. In this area, there are about six pounds of plastic for every pound of plankton. A similar area of floating plastic debris exists in the Atlantic Ocean, called the North Atlantic garbage patch.
History
In 1988, scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicted the existence of a large area of floating ocean debris. This prediction was based on research by scientists in Alaska who studied neustonic plastic, which is plastic floating on the ocean's surface, in the North Pacific Ocean. They discovered that ocean currents caused large amounts of marine debris to collect in certain areas. Using their findings from the Sea of Japan, they suggested that similar conditions might occur in other parts of the Pacific Ocean where currents create 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 a race. He informed oceanographer Curtis Ebbesmeyer, who later called the area the "Eastern Garbage Patch" (EGP). This region is often reported in the media as a major example of ocean pollution.
In 2008, the Algalita Marine Research Foundation organized the JUNK Raft Project, a sailing journey across the Pacific to raise awareness about plastic pollution in the patch.
In 2009, two ships from Project Kaisei/Ocean Voyages Institute, the New Horizon and the Kaisei, traveled to study the patch and test if large-scale collection and recycling of plastic was possible. The Scripps Institute of Oceanography also studied the patch during its 2009 SEAPLEX expedition, which was partly funded by Project Kaisei. Researchers also examined how plastic affects mesopelagic fish, such as lanternfish.
In 2010, Ocean Voyages Institute conducted a 30-day expedition in the gyre to continue research from earlier missions and test new cleanup tools.
In July and August 2012, Ocean Voyages Institute sailed from San Francisco to the northern edge of the North Pacific Gyre, ending in Richmond, British Columbia. They then returned to the gyre. This expedition focused on studying the spread of debris from the 2011 Japanese earthquake and tsunami.
Sources of the plastic
In 2015, a study found that plastic debris floats eastward from six Asian countries: China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. This study used data from 2010 and showed that China was responsible for about 30% of ocean plastic pollution. In 2017, 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 land-based debris and its impact on marine environments.
A 2019 study estimated that 80% of ocean plastic comes from land-based sources, with the remaining 20% from boats and other marine activities. These percentages may differ by region. A 2018 study found that nearly half the mass of the Great Pacific garbage patch consists of synthetic fishing nets, mainly due to ocean currents and increased fishing in the Pacific Ocean.
A 2022 study reported that 75% to 86% of plastic pollution comes from fishing and agriculture, with most emissions linked to Japan, China, South Korea, the U.S., and Taiwan. A 2020 study identified the U.S. as the third-largest contributor of plastic pollution in coastal areas. In 2018, China banned plastic imports, leading to increased plastic waste in countries with weak waste management systems, such as Indonesia.
A study analyzed 6,093 debris items larger than 5 cm in the North Pacific garbage patch. Of these, 99% of rigid items (by count) and 90% of the total debris mass (514 kg) were plastic. These items were traced back to five industrialized fishing nations, showing the fishing industry's significant role in global plastic waste.
Hard plastic waste mainly includes unidentifiable fragments, fishing and aquaculture gear like nets, fish boxes, oyster spacers, and eel traps, as well as items related to food, drinks, and household use. These items make up a large part of floating plastic in the ocean.
Of 201 analyzed plastic objects, the most common languages found were Chinese, Japanese, English, and Korean, in that order. The Ocean Cleanup estimated that up to 86% of ocean plastics come from fishing activities.
Constitution
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch formed slowly because ocean currents collected pollution over time. It is located in a relatively still area of the North Pacific Ocean, surrounded by the North Pacific Gyre in the horse latitudes. The gyre’s movement pulls waste from across the North Pacific, including coastal waters near North America and Japan. As waste enters the currents, wind-driven surface currents move debris toward the center, trapping it there.
In a 2014 study, researchers collected samples from 1,571 locations across the world’s oceans and found that discarded fishing gear, such as buoys, lines, and nets, made up over 60% of the mass of plastic marine debris. According to a 2011 EPA report, the main cause of marine debris is improper disposal or management of trash and products, including plastics (for example, littering or illegal dumping). Trash is created on land at places like marinas, ports, rivers, and storm drains. Trash is also created at sea from fishing vessels, platforms, and cargo ships. Pieces of debris vary in size from very large abandoned fishing nets to tiny micro-pellets used in cosmetics and cleaners.
A computer model predicts that a piece of trash from the U.S. west coast would travel to Asia and return to the U.S. in six years. Trash from the east coast of Asia would reach the U.S. in a year or less. While microplastics make up 94% of the estimated 1.8 trillion plastic pieces, they account for only 8% of the 79,000 metric tons (87,000 short tons) of plastic. Most of the remaining plastic comes from the fishing industry.
A 2017 study found that of the 9.1 billion metric tons (10.0 billion short tons) of plastic produced since 1950, about 7 billion metric tons (7.7 billion short tons) are no longer in use. Researchers estimate that 9% was recycled, 12% was burned, and the remaining 5.5 billion metric tons (6.1 billion short tons) are in the oceans and on land.
In a 2021 study, scientists found more than 40 animal species on 90% of the trash they studied in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. A 2022 discovery showed that a thriving ecosystem of life exists on the plastic in the patch, suggesting that cleaning up the trash might harm this plastisphere.
A 2023 study found that the plastic supports coastal species that live and reproduce in the open ocean. These coastal species, including jellyfish and sponges, are often found near the western Pacific coast and coexist with open-ocean species on the plastic. Some scientists are concerned that this mix of coastal and open-ocean species might create unnatural or "neopelagic communities," where coastal creatures could compete with or even eat open-ocean species.
Size estimates
The size of the patch is not fixed, and the exact spread of debris is hard to determine because large items are rare. Most debris consists of tiny plastic pieces floating at or just below the water's surface, making them hard to spot from planes or satellites. Instead, scientists estimate the patch's size 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). These estimates are uncertain because sampling methods are complex, and it is difficult to compare findings with other areas. Additionally, the patch's size depends on the concentration of floating debris, but there is no clear standard to define the boundary between normal and high levels of pollution, making it hard to measure the affected area accurately.
Net-based surveys are more objective than direct observations but have limits. Nets used for sampling are small (1–2 meters wide), and ships must slow down to use them, which takes time. The type of plastic collected depends on the net's mesh size, and similar mesh sizes are needed to compare studies fairly. Floating debris is usually collected with a neuston or manta trawl net with a mesh size of 0.33 mm. Because plastic debris is often clustered in small areas, many net samples are needed to understand how much litter is present. Studies using surface nets found that in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre, plastic density in 1999 was 335,000 items per square kilometer and 5.1 kilograms per square kilometer, about ten times higher than in the 1980s. Similar increases in plastic debris have been found near Japan. However, interpreting these results is challenging because plastic distribution is uneven, and samples must come from similar water areas to be compared accurately.
In August 2009, a study by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and Project Kaisei (SEAPLEX) found plastic debris in 100 consecutive samples taken along a 1,700-mile path through the patch. The study showed that while the patch contains some large pieces, it is mostly made of smaller items that become more concentrated toward the center of the gyre. These small, confetti-like pieces near the surface suggest the affected area may be smaller than previously thought. Data from 2009 on Pacific albatross populations indicated the presence of two separate debris zones.
In March 2018, The Ocean Cleanup shared findings from two expeditions: the Mega-Expedition (2015) and the Aerial Expedition (2016). In 2015, the group used 30 vessels and 652 nets to collect 1.2 million pieces of plastic, which were categorized by size. To study larger, rarer debris, they also used a C-130 Hercules aircraft with LiDAR sensors in 2016. Their findings showed the patch covers 1.6 million square kilometers with a plastic concentration of 10–100 kilograms per square kilometer. They estimated the patch contains 80,000 metric tons of plastic, including 1.8 trillion pieces, with 92% of the mass coming from items larger than 0.5 centimeters.
The term "Great Pacific Garbage Patch" is often used by the media but does not accurately describe the situation in the North Pacific Ocean. This name suggests a large, continuous area filled with visible trash like bottles, which is not true. The patch is not a solid mass of debris visible from space. A 2001 study found 334,721 plastic pieces per square kilometer in the neuston layer, with an average mass of 5.1 kilograms per square kilometer—seven times the density of zooplankton in some areas. Deeper water samples showed fewer plastic particles, mostly monofilament fishing lines. In 2012, researchers found microplastic concentrations in the gyre had increased tenfold over 40 years.
On April 11, 2013, artist Maria Cristina Finucci created The Garbage Patch State at UNESCO in Paris. In March 2018, New Scientist reported the patch's size as approximately 1.6 million square kilometers.
Environmental effects
In 2010, a meeting at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) said that although the patch could harm human living conditions, it could be managed. At a meeting at the IEEE the next year, it was said that the patch disrupts the balance of the original marine ecosystem and creates new conditions for microorganisms, leading to the formation 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 record for the largest cleanup in the garbage patch, removing over 40 metric tons (44 short tons) of plastic from the ocean. In 2020, during two expeditions, Ocean Voyages Institute again set a record, 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 deployed to the gyre to begin the collection task. This trial run of the Ocean Cleanup Project started towing its "Ocean Cleanup System 001" from San Francisco to a trial site 240 nautical miles (440 km; 280 mi) away. The initial trial of the "Ocean Cleanup System 001" lasted four months and provided the research team with valuable information for designing the "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 their "System 002." The mission began in July 2021 and ended on October 14, 2021. In July 2022, the Ocean Cleanup announced that they 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 a transition to "System 03," which is said to be 10 times more effective than its predecessor. In April 2024, they celebrated removing 10 million kg of trash, and 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, investigated the 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 expeditions in the gyre. These expeditions completed 118 tows and counted nearly 70,000 pieces of plastic.