Environmental Impacts and Solutions for the Great Pacific Garbage Patch

The assignment content discusses the issue of ocean pollution, specifically the 'garbage patches' in the North Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. The South Pacific, South Atlantic, and Indian Oceans also have similar patches. Based on expedition data and Maximenko's model, the estimated total quantity of plastic debris in these garbage patches is approximately 36,950 tons. This amount is equivalent to only 0.125% of all plastics produced in the US in 2009, but has the potential to adversely impact marine habitats.

class exercise ENVS 7711
Ocean pollution and plastic
[Type the author name]
3/24/2018

Overview of the problem
Among the different ways, the human has polluted the planet and the affected the environment
the disposing of plastic has been considered one of the most immediate and present threat. It has
been common for us to notice headlines in the newspapers like the “plastics threatening ocean”,
“plastic affecting ocean life” or some other version of the same statement, which is some cases,
are more specific. It true in almost every part of the world and often seen by us first hand when
we visit the beaches informs of mountains of plastic waste wraps collected from the beach or an
ever existent crust of plastic covering the water edge that is an ugly blemish on the natural
beauty.
What we usually see is the least harmful portion of the issue as there are continent-sized plastic
gyres that are floating on the ocean and scrap plastic that is present throughout the ocean. The
plastic polluting the ocean is not limited to the visual aspect but the plastic being non-
biodegradable is an ever-present factor that is being accumulated in the ocean and affecting the
ocean life. however not one nation can be blamed for the threat as the western culture started
using plastic wraps in the so-called convenience culture might have started the problem, but the
other countries were fast to catch up on the use of the packing material that is readily available
and is cheap. The plastic providing not only a convenient and cheap packing solution but also a
material that is not easily compromised by nature as other primitive forms of packing that were
used before carried a threat of the packaging to be compromised. However, this quality of the
plastic is not affected by natural elements is also the biggest drawback form the environmental
perspective as the packaging material forms almost the entirety of the plastic floating through the
ocean and being deposited on the various beaches. The consumer culture of using throwaway or
disposable containers, bottles and food wrappers are therefore are the source of the issue that is
present.
The current condition of the oceans are threatening for the whole ecosystem as the different
ocean animals and fishes are often choked by plastic debris that causes death and affecting the
balance of the ecosystem as due to the food habit some species are more susceptible than the
others. The different forms of plastic that are used throughout the world can take up to 450 years
to degrade fully but these are the minority as the most of the plastics used and deposited in the

ocean is PET that is not biodegradable at all. However, recyclable plastic, while being a solution
is not full proof as only a third of the PET manufactured is recycled and the rest end up in
landfills and oceans. Therefore, the issue of the plastic deposit in the ocean is a severe one that is
causing millions of deaths of ocean animals in the world and compromising not only the
ecosystem but also one of the most varied of human food sources. Thus, it is clear that the issue
needs to be resolved and every person should be aware of the disaster one plastic food wrapper
dropped on a fishing trip can cause.
Exercise
This class exercise is geared towards the development of the awareness of the individuals
regarding the hazards of plastic deposit in the oceans and the way the throwaway culture affects
the issue. The students are expected to read the different course materials and other sources on
the issue of the plastic garbage in oceans and develop an understanding of the importance and
scale of the issue and its current and potential impact on nature and the human population
indirectly.
Estimated duration
The classroom activities in the exercise would be conducted in the standard session of 90
minutes but the essential readings and other additional research can take up to a week. To be
clear on the purpose of the exercise, the overall scope of the exercise and understanding of one of
the greatest environmental issues cannot be limited by time, as the different facts are being
uncovered as well as potential solutions every day as the problem escalates. Thus, while the
understanding developed in the classroom is expected to be used by the students in the daily lives
and their consumer culture.
Learning objectives
Develop research skills  Understanding the scope of the issue
 Discover the different causes of the plastic
accumulation in the oceans

 The extent of the escalation of the issue from
different sources
Developing evaluative skills
through evaluation of the problem
 Understand the contributing factors that are the
source of the problem
 Evaluate the comparative importance of the different
factors that are causing the escalation of the issue
Analytic skills development  Formulate a fact sheet outlining the issue and the
score them based on their contribution to the
problem
Develop practical problem-
solving skills
 Based on the fact sheet developed in the previous
LO the students are expected to form a proposed
solution for each problem that should be from one of
the following sectors (regulatory legislation,
awareness development, bans and restrictions, clean
up efforts)
 the students are expected to develop an
implementation procedure for each solution they
propose in their fact sheet
Task 1
Answer the following questions from your personal understanding of the issue from the essential
readings. (Be aware that there are no wrong answers to this questionnaire as your answers may
differ based on your personal opinion.)
1. What, in your opinion, is the most numerous type of 'litter' on the planet?
2. What is the most unrecyclable litter in your opinion?
3. What item used in daily life do you think causes the most harm to the environment?
4. What is the greatest source of plastic pollution affecting the seas? Please explain your
choice of reference from eligible sources. (newspaper articles, research and general
consensus)

5. Do you think that a ban on plastic would mitigate the issue of plastic pollution
completely? Please support your answer with reference from eligible sources.
6. What is the best way to break down plastic and why is this not a viable solution to the
problem?
7. Do you think that the recycling is the answer to the problem of plastic accumulation in
the ocean?
8. What percentage of the plastic manufacturing contribute to the ocean pollution?
9. Among the following solutions to the problem, which one do you think is most effective?
Explain.
 Refuse single-use plastic bottles, straws, to-go containers and coffee cups and lids.
 Bring your own reusable bags wherever you go shopping or just need to carry stuff.
 Ask merchants, restaurants and other establishments you frequent to consider using
plastic-free alternatives.
10. What impact of the ocean litter do you think is the most concerning? Explain.
 Economic
 Environmental
 Human health
Task 2
Case study
The garbage patch is a concentration of marine debris in the ocean. It consists mainly of
plastic objects with an approximate concentration of about 46,000 pieces per square mile,
according to the United Nations Environmental Programme 2006 estimates (UNEP). There
are five main garbage patches. The largest is referred to as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch
and consists of the Eastern Garbage Patch and the Western Garbage Patch. The first one
extends within the North Pacific Subtropical High, an area between Hawaii and California;
the second one is a small “recirculation gyre” between Japan and Hawaii. Also, floating

trash concentrates in certain areas of the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean.
The sources of plastic debris can be land-based (estimated at eighty percent) or ocean-based
and they relate to four main categories: sewage, tourism, fishing, and waste from ships and
boats. The first one includes trash that comes from storm water discharges, combine sewer
overflows, and solid waste disposal and landfills; it is carried to the sea in streams, rivers, and,
surprisingly, underground waterways. Trash discarded in the streets, sidewalks, gutters and
elsewhere is carried by water flow or wind and eventually ends up in the ocean. This is also
true with garbage carelessly discharged in the toilets or sinks at home. Furthermore, industrial
products can become marine debris if not properly disposed of. Tourist littering is one of the
major causes of beach pollution that eventually is transformed to marine debris. Finally all
boats and ships and off-shore industrial platforms are potential sources of ocean pollution, as
they can generate trash, either intentionally or accidentally.
It should be noted that there are four main dimensions to the problem of the plastic trash
patch: a) Plastic is highly dispersed as it floats and moves in the vast ocean; b) there is a
continuous accumulation of waste, as plastic does not biodegrade; c) it is a global rather than
a national issue; and d) it is difficult to prove causation between amount of plastic wastes in
the oceans and effects on the ecosystems in the ocean.
The Sea Education Association (SEA) has been conducting research on the garbage trash
patch for over 25 years. Neuston nets (335 μm mesh and 0.5 m by 1.0 m opening) are towed
at the ocean surface from a ship to collect samples and analyze them (Law, et all). As of this
date, more than 6100 net tows have been conducted in the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea

and 400 tows in the North Pacific subtropical gyre. The majority of collected samples are less
than one cm in size and mass of about 0.1 g and are made of high density polyethylene
(HDPE), low density polyethylene (LDPE), and polypropylene (PP). The highest plastic
concentrations were observed in the Sargasso Sea, a slow circulation area approximately 700
miles wide and 2,000 miles long off the coast of Bermuda:
Efforts in assessing the problem of marine debris have been concentrated on the monitoring
and clean-up of the sea surface, at less than 30 m depth. Plastic is buoyant so it is most likely
located on the water surface or at shallow depth.
Also, the assessment of the presence of marine debris on the seafloor using the most
convenient method, bottom trawling nets, is not applicable on rocky terrain, and items
cannot be exactly located, because the catch is integrated over the length of the tow:
“The fate of plastic particles that become dense enough to sink below the sea surface is
unknown, and we are unaware of any studies of seafloor microplastics offshore of the
continental shelf. However, analysis of particle trap data in the center of the high plastic
region near Bermuda shows no evidence of plastic as a substantial contributor to trapped
sinking material at depths of 500 to 3200 m” (Skye Morèt-Ferguson, et all).
In an attempt to estimate how much garbage is present in the ocean, we first considered data
gathered from the SEA, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), and the expedition
of the University of Hawaii at Manoa (UHM) in the Atlantic Ocean, in particular in the
Sargasso Sea. We assumed that if the samples were to be collected with a net at the same
depth and put side by side we would have an average concentration of 25,000 plastic pieces

per km2 (Figure 3). In addition we considered an approximate water surface affected of
3,625,753 km2, and an average weigh per piece of 0.1 grams. The quantity of plastic debris in
the volume of water affected wase estimated roughly at 9,064 tons.
Secondly, based on Algalita Marine Research Foundation sampling of the North Pacific
Subtropical gyre, we assumed that if the samples were to be collected with a “manta” trawl
that skims the ocean surface and can trap particles as small as 1/3 of a millimeter at the same
depth and put side by side we would have an average concentration of 25,000 plastic pieces
9
per km2 (WHOI). Also, we considered an approximate water surface affected of 8,095,000
km2 (Maximenko, et al) and that each piece weights on average 0.1 grams (Algalita Marine
Research Foundation). The quantity of plastic debris in volume of water affected was
estimated roughly at 20,000 tons.
Finally, a sampling expedition was carried out in the South Pacific Ocean in January 2011,
but publication of the results is pending. Also,, in the South Indian Ocean and South Atlantic
Ocean sampling expeditions confirming the existence of a garbage patch in these areas was
conducted in 20111 by a team of researchers of the Five Gyres Institute, but data have not
been disclosed.
In the effort to approximately size the dimension of these three patches, we took into account
Maximenko’s drifters model (Maximenko, et all). His results show that the convergence
zones of the drifters concentration are in fact in the subtropical gyres. In addition, drifters
measurements in the North Atlantic Ocean are consistent with was has been reported by

SEA, WHOI, and HUM, as well as by Algalita Marine Research Foundation in the North
Pacific Ocean (IPRC).
If we consider Maximenko’s model for these areas, we can assume is that the South Pacific
patch has higher plastic particle density than that of the North Pacific (assumed average
density of 40,000 pieces per km2), that the South Atlantic Ocean patch has slightly lower
density than the North Atlantic one (assumed average 20,000 pieces per km2); and finally that
the Indian Ocean patch has lower density than the North Atlantic one (assumed average
10,000 pieces per km2) [(Maximenko, et al; Martinez, et all)]. Based on Maximenko’s axes
of main subtropical collection areas, we assumed an approximate water surface affected of
715,520 km2 in the South Pacific Ocean, 1,296,180 km2 in the South Atlantic Ocean, and
2,183,480 km2 in the Indian Ocean (Maximenko, et all). If we assume that plastic type, weight
and size are comparable with those observed in the North Atlantic and North Pacific Ocean
patches - a safe assumption given that samples between the North Atlantic and North Pacific
Ocean patches were consistent (WHOI) - we estimated that the quantities of plastic debris in
the volumes of water affected were 2,860 ton in the South Pacific Ocean, 2,590 ton in the
South Atlantic Ocean, and 2,185 ton in the Indian Ocean.
In summary, based on data gathered from expeditions, the garbage patch of the Atlantic
Ocean gyre and the North Pacific Subtropical gyre contain approximately 9,064 ton and
20,240 ton respectively. Since expedition data for the other three garbage patches are not
currently available, the estimation based on Maximenko’s model resulted on approximately
2,860 ton in the South Pacific Ocean, 2,590 ton in the South Atlantic Ocean, and 2,185 ton in

the Indian Ocean. All together, these garbage patches contain an estimated 36,950 tons of of
plastic garbage. These results are summarized in Table 1.
This total quantity of plastic debris in the earth’s oceans derived (36,950 ton) equals to only
0.125% of all plastics produced in the US in 2009. While it is small compared to the total
produced and properly disposed, it has the potential to adversely impact the marine habitat.
The above case study is a part of thesis from Columbia engineering and the full paper can be
found at the following link
www.seas.columbia.edu/earth/wtert/sofos/sesini_thesis.pdf
From the above case study explain the possible environmental impacts of the garbage patches?
What might be the best way to address the issue of the great pacific garbage patch?
Task 3
Form a data sheet for the issue of ocean pollution based on the case study presented in the task 2.
Develop possible solutions to each of the problem areas in a tabular format with the main
indicators for the level of the impact.
Task 4
In the table you constructed on the previous task, add columns for the implementation
procedures that you think would have the greatest impact on the environmental issue being
discussed.
The table that you produce would be based on the following template.(feel free to add more
columns that you feel are necessary)
The
environmental
issue
The impacts Cause of the
issue
Possible
solutions
Implementation
procedure

Useful readings/reference material
 Plastic waste inputs from land into the ocean by Jenna R. Jambeck, Roland
GeyerChris Wilcox, Theodore R. Siegler, Miriam Perryman, Anthony Andrady, Ramani
Nara
 Plastic debris in the open ocean byAndrés Cózar, Fidel Echevarría, J. Ignacio
González-Gordillo, Xabier Irigoien, Bárbara Úbeda, Santiago Hernández-León, Álvaro
T. Palma, Sandra Navarro, Juan García-de-Lomas, Andrea Ruiz, María L. Fernández-de-
Puelles and Carlos M. Duarte
 Plastic particles in coastal pelagic ecosystems of the Northeast Pacific ocean by
Miriam J.Doyle ,WilliamWatson , Seba B.Sheavly
 A Comparison of Plastic and Plankton in the North Pacific Central Gyre by C.J
Moore , S.L Moore, M.K Leecaster, S.B Weisberg
 Plastic Pollution in the World's Oceans: More than 5 Trillion Plastic Pieces
Weighing over 250,000 Tons Afloat at Sea by Marcus Eriksen , Laurent C. M.
Lebreton, Henry S. Carson, Martin Thiel, Charles J. Moore, Jose C. Borerro, Francois
Galgani, Peter G. Ryan, Julia Reisser
 Drifting plastic and its consequences for sessile organism dispersal in the Atlantic
Ocean by D. K. A. Barnes, P. Milner

References
Jambeck, J. R., Geyer, R., Wilcox, C., Siegler, T. R., Perryman, M., Andrady, A., ... & Law, K.
L. (2015). Plastic waste inputs from land into the ocean. Science, 347(6223), 768-771.
Cózar, A., Echevarría, F., González-Gordillo, J. I., Irigoien, X., Úbeda, B., Hernández-León,
S., ... & Fernández-de-Puelles, M. L. (2014). Plastic debris in the open ocean. Proceedings of the
National Academy of Sciences, 111(28), 10239-10244.
Doyle, M. J., Watson, W., Bowlin, N. M., & Sheavly, S. B. (2011). Plastic particles in coastal
pelagic ecosystems of the Northeast Pacific ocean. Marine Environmental Research, 71(1), 41-
52.
Moore, C. J., Moore, S. L., Leecaster, M. K., & Weisberg, S. B. (2001). A comparison of plastic
and plankton in the North Pacific central gyre. Marine pollution bulletin, 42(12), 1297-1300.
Eriksen, M., Lebreton, L. C., Carson, H. S., Thiel, M., Moore, C. J., Borerro, J. C., ... & Reisser,
J. (2014). Plastic pollution in the world's oceans: more than 5 trillion plastic pieces weighing
over 250,000 tons afloat at sea. PloS one, 9(12), e111913.
Barnes, D. K. A., & Milner, P. (2005). Drifting plastic and its consequences for sessile organism
dispersal in the Atlantic Ocean. Marine Biology, 146(4), 815-825.
Sesini, M. (2011). The garbage patch in the oceans: the problem and possible solution (pp. 6-
10). Earth Institute of Columbia University. Retrieved from
http://www.seas.columbia.edu/earth/wtert/sofos/sesini_thesis.pdf