The Great Pacific Garbage Patch
Alex Ibarra
ENG 150-274 December 12, 2012
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch
Living on this earth is a privilege and unfortunately we sometimes take advantage of it. Stories of deforestation, air and water pollution really make a person think of just how much our planet is being harmed. A major concern is water pollution. Water covers at least 70 percent of the planet which makes our rivers, lakes, and oceans essential. Many of these bodies of water are being polluted and although they may be out of sight, they eventually help pollution increase. Actions should be made to stop the pollution of our waters before things get worse. If we want to decrease the amount of pollution it starts out by increasing the amount of recycling we do. It shouldn’t stop there. Not only should efforts to improve laws against water pollution be made but public awareness¬¬ has to be raised about this issue.
It is believed that the world’s largest garbage dump isn't on land but in the Pacific Ocean. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is pretty much what it sounds like; a garbage patch way out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. In an article posted on How Stuff Works.com it’s said that, “It stretches from the coast of California to Japan, and it's estimated to be twice the size of Texas” (Silverman, Jacob). The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is located in the Pacific Subtropical Gyre. The Gyre is a spiral of currents created by a system of air currents. These air currents move in circular rotation which helps keep the garbage trapped. It’s an area filled with millions of pounds of trash with most of it being plastic. It's the largest landfill in the world, and its sitting in the middle of the ocean. Water pollution can have serious economic and health impacts by killing marine life and causing environmental harm.¬¬¬¬
While there's still some uncertainty of what is all in garbage patch, we do know that most of it is made of plastic. The reason plastic is such a major cause of water
ENG 150-274 December 12, 2012
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch
Living on this earth is a privilege and unfortunately we sometimes take advantage of it. Stories of deforestation, air and water pollution really make a person think of just how much our planet is being harmed. A major concern is water pollution. Water covers at least 70 percent of the planet which makes our rivers, lakes, and oceans essential. Many of these bodies of water are being polluted and although they may be out of sight, they eventually help pollution increase. Actions should be made to stop the pollution of our waters before things get worse. If we want to decrease the amount of pollution it starts out by increasing the amount of recycling we do. It shouldn’t stop there. Not only should efforts to improve laws against water pollution be made but public awareness¬¬ has to be raised about this issue.
It is believed that the world’s largest garbage dump isn't on land but in the Pacific Ocean. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is pretty much what it sounds like; a garbage patch way out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. In an article posted on How Stuff Works.com it’s said that, “It stretches from the coast of California to Japan, and it's estimated to be twice the size of Texas” (Silverman, Jacob). The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is located in the Pacific Subtropical Gyre. The Gyre is a spiral of currents created by a system of air currents. These air currents move in circular rotation which helps keep the garbage trapped. It’s an area filled with millions of pounds of trash with most of it being plastic. It's the largest landfill in the world, and its sitting in the middle of the ocean. Water pollution can have serious economic and health impacts by killing marine life and causing environmental harm.¬¬¬¬
While there's still some uncertainty of what is all in garbage patch, we do know that most of it is made of plastic. The reason plastic is such a major cause of water
References: 2, Kenneth R. Weiss Times Staff Writer August. "Plague of Plastic Chokes the Seas." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 02 Aug. 2006. Web. 12 Dec. 2012. "Ocean Pollution." ThinkQuest. Oracle Foundation, n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2012. "Tracking Plastic in the Oceans." EARTH Magazine. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2012. "Waste and Recycling Facts." Clean Air Council. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2012. "Why Is the World 's Biggest Landfill in the Pacific Ocean?" HowStuffWorks. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2012.