Facts about the great pacific garbage patch?

Answer 1

An estimated 100,000 turtles and other animals die each year, and more than one million seabirds.

Plastic bottles and bags dumped from ships and from storm water drains and rivers float in the oceans and the wind and currents bring them all to this great revolving Pacific Gyre. Plastic ropes and discarded fishing nets are part of it too. Scientists estimate that there is around three million tons of plastic debris there.

The sun and the oceans have broken the plastic down. As the plastic degrades it releases many toxins which get into the food chain. It also breaks up into tiny pieces which are attractive to sea birds and marine creatures. This plastic junk builds up in their stomachs till they die. Some of the particles are microscopic and filter feeders like whales are swallowing them.

"Ghost fishing" from thrown away nets are still trapping fish and marine animals. Studies have found that even barnacles are eating tiny shreds of plastic.

Answer 2

One main contributor to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch was that a cargo ship accidentally spilled 28,000 rubber duckies into the Pacific Ocean. To this day rubber duckies still show up along the beach.

Answer 3

The area, a huge slowly moving whirlpool of ocean between China and America, also known as the North Pacific Gyre, may contain over 100 million tons of mostly plastic rubbish.

Answer 4

No one knows for sure, but as the debris largely consists of floating plastic it is unlikely to be deeper than 30 cm (1 foot).

Answer 5

over 100 million tons of mostly plastic rubbish.

Answer 6

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, also known as the Pacific Gyre, may contain over 100 million tons of mostly plastic rubbish.

Answer 7

3 patches