Great Pacific Garbage Patch Flashcards
What is a Gyre?
System of circular currents caused by wind patterns and rotation of the planet - Coriolis effect 30 degrees N and S of the equator.
Coriolis effect 0 at the equator.
In which Gyre has the rubbish accumulated?
North Pacific Gyre
How is the plastic distributed?
Suspended for several meters below the surface + at the surface, most of the plastic is micro plastics
Effects of the GPGP
Strangling of animals
Bio accumulation in the food chain of toxic chemicals
Total plastic mass?
42000 tonnes, 86% fishing nets in the GPGP
640000 tonnes of fishing nets. lines and traps lost each year globally
Microplastics globally account for 0.95 million tonnes annually or 8%
Vehicle tires make up 270000 tonnes a year
2 million tonnes of microfibres through rivers a year.
Sources of plastic?
Asian industry - Kuroshio extension
Intensified pacific fishing
Percentage of plastic on the surface?
1%
Highest concentration
GPGP 100kg/km^2 at the centre
How much more on beaches than oceans?
5X
Total plastic in the GPGP
79000 tonnes
Location and seasonal change?
32 degrees N, 145 degrees W - as global temperatures change the thermohaline circulation system will move the patch from season to season
Location and seasonal change?
32 degrees N, 145 degrees W - as global temperatures change the thermohaline circulation system will move the patch from season to season
