Emma Joyner- Ocean Gyres and Garbage Patches

 One of the most concerning ongoing environmental issues is the formation of massive garbage patches occupying the center of every ocean gyre. Garbage patches cover large areas of the ocean where litter and other marine debris collect and form a mass in the water. The reason these massive patches form is due to areas where ocean currents converge, creating a whirlpool in the ocean that traps the debris. Essentially, litter travels down rivers and onto the coastlines where it is pulled out by currents. These currents from different continents eventually meet and collide in a circular pattern. These are called gyres and this is exactly where the issues arise. The circular motion inherently creates a calm center, similar to the eye of a hurricane. Due to the overall lack of motion, the “eye” is where the debris accumulates and forms garbage patches. There are a total of 5 gyres in the ocean and each of them has garbage patches, with the most well-known being in the Pacific Ocean. NOAA reports it is nearly twice the size of Texas. As jarring as that is, it isn’t all that shocking when you actually take a look at how much plastic is overwhelmingly present in our society. According to recent research, “from 1950 to 2019, the cumulative production of plastic reached 9.5 billion tons of plastic, which is more than 1 ton of plastic for every person on Earth”. That number is astronomical and also doesn’t account for any plastic produced in the last 4 years. When I reflect on those facts, I can’t help but wonder how we, as a society, have allowed such a devastating thing to happen to our own planet. In class, we’ve talked about the human-centric view of how nature is something to be controlled or exploited. The garbage patches are a good representation of the implications of that mindset. It also begs the question; how can we create an environmentally sound and beneficially economic world? 

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