The North Pacific Gyre

When most people imagine the North Pacific Gyre, they envision a literal island of trash that one could feasibly walk upon. However, the problem with the North Pacific Gyre lies not in the large size of the trash, but rather with how small the trash is. The presence of trash in our oceans can disturb the efficiency and order of our natural marine ecosystem, which is an ecological web that can cause changes in unexpected places. This is important, because once a change is made in the ecological web it can be difficult to reverse.

A patch of swirling garbage is currently collecting about 1000 miles off the coast of California, where trash is being degrading into smaller pieces that float in the ocean. In the Slate article, Sea Trash, Nina Rastogi explains that, "Animals may eat the garbage, which can not only lacerate their throats and stomachs but can also make them feel so full that they stop eating actual food." According to Eric S. Page of NBC News, "Substances like PCB and DDT can be absorbed and leach into sea life." PCB is a major concern, because it is a toxic compound recognized by the EPA. The trash that hasn't yet been degraded simply floats among the gyre's debris, providing a place for mollusks and other marine life to hitchhike on the trash. In the CNN article, Project Kaisei: Voyage to Clean up the Plastic Vortex, the writer states, "unnatural transport systems could allow invasive species to be introduced to different areas and upset delicate ecosystems."

This problem is important, because maintaining the natural order of ecosystems prevents problems elsewhere in nature. Natural science fields generally believe ecology to be of great importance when assessing changes in the environment. The main idea behind ecology is that everything in nature is connected. Since everything is connected in an ecological web, changes in one area can cause a chain reaction throughout the web of life. Humans already affect ecosystems by causing chemical imbalances, such as those associated with carbon emissions, and marine life biodiversity could be lessened if the trash continues to collect.

The Pacific Gyre can cause changes in natural ecosystems during its process of degradation, and this process can have detrimental effects. While the true image of the North Pacific Gyre isn't literally a floating island of trash, the true damage is done by all of the small plastic remnants that gather in the ocean, altering the ecosystem.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Page, Eric S. "People Eat Fish That Eat Fish That Eat Plastic" NBC San Diego. February 9, 2010. February 9, 2010. http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/health/People-Eat-Fish-That-Eat-Fish-That-Eat-Plastic-83937442.html

"Project Kaisei: Voyage to Clean up the Plastic Vortex" CNN Tech. October 30, 2009. http://edition.cnn.com/2009/TECH/science/10/30/trash.vortex.kaisei/index.html

Rastogi, Nina S. "Sea Trash" Slate. February 9, 2010. January 29, 2010. http://www.slate.com/id/2243538/

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