A sea of plastic garbage larger than Australia is visible from space as it swirls around the Pacific Ocean, trapped by Ocean currents in what is known as a Gyre. The core of the North Pacific Gyre is one million square kilometres in size. That is completely covered by floating plastic, ranging from entire items or garbage to small grains. Even as the plastic breaks down into microparticles it hangs together, creating the so-called dead-zone that is uninhabitable to the vast bulk of lifeforms.
Great Pacific garbage patch’ far bigger than imagined
The heart of the garbage patch is thought to be around 1m sq km, with the periphery spanning a further 3.5m sq km. The dimensions of this morass of waste are continually morphing, caught in one of the ocean’s huge rotating currents. The north Pacific gyre has accumulated a soup of plastic waste, including large items and smaller broken-down micro plastics that can be eaten by fish and enter the food chain. The great Pacific garbage patch is growing so fast that it is visible from space.