Great Pacific Garbage Vortex

A vast area of the North Pacific Ocean, often referred to as the “Great Pacific Garbage Vortex” is an area heavily concentrated in marine debris such as plastic and various other chemicals leaching into marine ecosystems and creating detrimental environmental and health impacts. The garage patch is divided into an Eastern patch located off the coast of California and a Western patch found off the coast of Japan, that work collaboratively to spin the marine debris. The North Pacific Subtropical Convergence Zone, found between the two patches is where the warmer waters from the South Pacific meets the cooler water from the Arctic. This convergence zone creates a pathway for the debris to travel in a circular motion with the help of the circular ocean current system created by
Earth’s patterns of wind and rotation, known as the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre. Due to certain features important to industries producing plastic, such as versatility, low cost and durability, plastic makes up majority of the debris. Water bottles and other plastic beverage bottles as well as various forms of packaging for many products purchased on a daily basis are the greatest contributors to this problem. Materials used in the production of plastic are not biodegradable and will never entirely decompose and can instead only be broken down into smaller pieces referred to as microplastic. Microplastics give the vortex a murky translucent appearance, disrupting marine food webs by blocking the sunlight and preventing it from reaching plankton and algae and therefore preventing autotrophs from producing their own nutrients. Given the lack of nutrients and insufficient amounts of food being produced for all other animals in the ecosystem, the entire marine ecosystem is threatened. In addition, the chemicals in microplastics are detrimental to ecosystems and in turn, to human health because plastics leach these harmful chemicals and are also capable of absorbing organic pollutants from their surroundings. When the sunlight reaches plastic and is directed at it for prolonged periods of time, a process known as photo degradation results in the release of BPA and other chemicals. Bisphenol- A (BPA) is an organic compound produced synthetically in a reaction between acetone and phenol and is used in production of plastic containers for food and beverage, toys, medical equipment and various other products. BPA can enter the body in multiple ways but is most frequently ingested through foods and beverages contaminated with BPA from plastic bottles and food containers. The bioaccumulation in fish and other marine animals is evident in the garbage patch and is the process by which these animals absorb chemicals. Forms of plastic can also absorb other organic pollutants while in the ocean and marine species such as jellyfish are known to eat these incredibly harmful pieces of plastic. This becomes of great concern when larger fish feed on jellyfish and even larger fish feed on those that have consumed the jellyfish.
This is a simple example of bioaccumulation and because fish are consumed by humans, there is a serious health risk. The adverse effects on human health include links to miscarriage and prenatal exposure resulting in low birth weight, increased obesity in adulthood, male genital abnormalities, respiratory problems such as asthma and impairment of brain development due to BPA’s ability to bind to the thyroid hormone receptor preventing its proper function which is essential in neurological development. The effects of plastic on humans has been widely researched in recent years and it’s threat to human health has been established. Action must be taken to put an end to the estimated 8 million metric tonnes of mostly plastic trash that contribute to this floating landfill each year. Human impacts on the environment resulting in severe environmental changes due to ongoing degradation such as this accumulation of manmade products that covers up to 15 000 000 square kilometers and has clear negative links to human health, must be brought to the attention of
society.