Garbage Patches in Ocean Gyres

06/02/25

“Why do country-sized garbage patches circle the oceans?”

Ocean gyres rotate water between continents like a conveyor belt. When people release garbage into the ocean, it can get sucked into this rotation. Over time, this waste has accumulated into giant Garbage Patches in Ocean Gyres. The largest by area, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, is estimated to be around twice as large as the U.S. state of Texas! These garbage patches are not continuous, solid masses, but rather similar to a mirky soup soup.

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