Ocean plastic pollution- the trash vortex

Each year about 300 billion pounds of plastic is produced around the world, but only a fraction is recycled. The rest (the majority) ends up up in landfills, but some finds its way into our oceans. Plastic is valued for its resistance to degradation, so its life span can be hundreds of years. When plastic reaches our oceans, it eventually breaks down due to the action of the sun, wind, and currents, into small, literally bite sized pieces that wildlife confuse with food.
As trash swirls through the world’s oceans to a handful of vortexes like this, it leaves a trail of death and destruction along its path. Plastic is often mistaken for food and has been found inside marine life of all sizes, from whales to zooplankton. It has been directly blamed for the death of a wide range of animals including albatrosses and sea turtles.

The trash vortex is one of the most studied areas of plastic accumulation in our oceans. At its maximum the area can reach the size of Texas. It is made up of everything from tiny pieces of plastic debris to large ghost nets lost by the fishing industry.

Only a small percentage of the trash found at sea is thought to originate there. The plastic int he ocean comes from a variety of sources: from street litter to industrial waste. Pollution of various kind is washed from land into storm drains and rivers each time it rains, this trash eventually reaches the ocean. Once there, the long-lasting qualities of plastic mean that it remains in the ecosystem for decades (and potentially longer), and as more trash accumulates, our oceans and the inhabitants within them are facing a crisis.

The world's largest trash vortexes are in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. This particular trash vortex is sometimes referred to as the North Pacific garbage patch, it is the epicenter of a system of currents and winds covering most of the North Pacific. It has become home to a familiar substance – plastic.

To see this trash vortex, click the link below:
http://oceans.greenpeace.org/en/the-expedition/news/trashing-our-oceans/ocean_pollution_animation

Read more at:http://oceans.greenpeace.org/en/the-expedition/news/trashing-our-oceans