Pacific trash vortexThe Pacific Trash Vortex is a Pacific Ocean area where tons of garbage cover a vast extension, estimated to double the state of Texas.
This marine dump is located at a point where currents of the Pacific North have caught tons of plastic that are suspended between the coordinates 135 º to 155 º W and 35 º to 42 º N.
Despite its size and density, the Pacific Trash Vortex is not visible on satellite photographs, nor can be located it on radar because they are small plastic particles suspended in water.
Unlike biodegradable waste, plastic photodegradable disintegrates in smaller pieces that become polymers. This process continues until the molecular level.
As floating photodegradable plastic waste becomes smaller and smaller, it concentrates on the top until it decays, and is eaten by aquatic organisms that live near the surface of the ocean. Therefore, garbage waste enters completely into the food chain.
The existence of the Pacific Trash Vortex was discovered in 1988 by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of the United States. The agency found high levels of accumulated plastic in certain areas of the Pacific that they call “Eastern Garbage Patch – EGP.
The Eastern Garbage Patch has been formed gradually over recent years as a result of marine pollution and North Pacific currents.
