Today in class, when we were talking about ecosystem cycles, I mentioned the North Pacific Gyre. This is a patch of garbage the size of Texas that is floating in the North Pacific Ocean. A gyre is a large circular group of ocean currents that spiral around in a vortex. There are many gyres but the north-pacific-gyre is the one we hear about the most because of its ability to collect all kinds of debris. It is estimated to be the size of 7 - 9 million square miles. This area consists of typically lost and entangled fisherman nets and equipment, and general debris, but it mostly consists of different forms of everyday plastic items that land here.
For more on the North Pacific Gyre garbage heap check out the following:
You can watch a good video from the BBC Natural History unit called "Hawai'i: Message in the Waves" and you could also watch the video below
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