🌊 Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP)
The GPGP spans ~1.6 million km2 and contains an estimated 1.8 trillion plastic pieces, mostly microplastics and abandoned fishing nets.
Key Details
- Discovered by Charles Moore in 1997.
- Composed of ~46% fishing nets, ~52% other plastics, ~2% unclassified.
- Ocean currents (North Pacific Gyre) concentrate debris.
- Microplastics enter the food chain via plankton -> fish -> humans.
- The Ocean Cleanup project is testing large floating barriers.
Sources
💡 Lesson LearnedOcean gyres act as plastic traps; source reduction is cheaper than cleanup.