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           National Geographic provides a detailed encyclopedia entry about the whereabouts of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. It consists of two separate areas also known as the Eastern Garbage Patch, located between California and Hawaii, and the Western Garbage Patch, located off the coast of Japan. These two areas are connected by the North Pacific Subtropical Convergence Zone which acts like a road for debris to travel. Both garbage patches are contained within the North Pacific Gyre which is a system of circular ocean currents formed by Earth’s rotational forces and wind patterns. 80% of the debris originates from land while 20% comes from boaters and cargo ships. Most of the land-based pollution originates from large river such as the Ganges River in India. Most of the trash consists of plastics and fishing nets.

           According to the Great Garbage Patch Wiki on Marinedebris.info, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration published a paper in 1988 from Alsakan researchers who predicted the existence of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch before Charles Moore actually discovered it. In 1997, Captain Moore noticed an excess amount of floating debris on his way

Currents that make up the North Pacific gyre. Photo credit from http://marinedebris.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/GPmap_2012_NOAAMDP.jpg

home from the Transpac sailing race which lead to the official discovery of the Garbage Patch.

             Taryn Laubenstein, author of Mythbuster: The Truth about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, states there is one major misconception about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Many people believe that it is a floating wasteland of trash and plastics twice the size of Texas, however, that information is inaccurate. The garbage patch is not a patch at all, instead it is comprised mostly of tiny bits of the plastic that lurk beneath the surface. It is difficult to estimate the size of the garbage patch since the majority of debris is microscopic.A plethora of other forms of trash are found as well such as plastic bags and common household items. 

 

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