Plastics piling up over time in the ocean. They are trapped in the vortex of the ocean's gyre and cannot escape. And its just grows. Now its twice the size of Texas and is raising the oceans acid levels by 13%
No. The items in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch are not bonded together.
1,000 years
87,000 tons, according to the NY Times: See article: "The 'Great Pacific Garbage Patch' Is Ballooning, 87,000 Tons of Plastic and Counting"
1997 the effect of water pollution on ecosystem
It is located in an area call the North Pacific Gyre, which is a patch of the North Pacific Ocean that covers thousands of square miles roughly between the United States and Japan and reaching toward Alaska and the Aleutian Islands. It's called the Great Pacific Garbage Patch because the prevailing ocean currents tend to swirl around this patch of ocean, causing all manner of floating debris to be concentrated in the gyre.
Indiscriminate dumping.
No. There has been a field of garbage floating in the Pacific for years as the result of accumulated litter.
Twice the size of Texas.
Garbage patches, like the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, are primarily caused by currents in the ocean concentrating marine debris in one area. Plastic waste, such as bottles and fishing gear, make up a large portion of the garbage patch. Irresponsible disposal of plastic items, along with inadequate waste management systems, contribute to the growth of these patches.
Great pacific garbage patch.... It's where thousands of tons worth of waste has gathered in a big floating mess
1,000 years
Currents can pick up and transport plastic debris from different parts of the ocean to specific areas. These patches, such as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, form where ocean currents converge and trap the floating debris. Once trapped, the garbage patch continues to grow as more plastic is carried in by the currents.