There is a place in the middle of the Pacific Ocean that is about as far from human habitation that one can possibly be while still on the planet. Here, the currents of the North Pacific turn inward and form one of five great oceanic gyre currents. Thousands of miles from the nearest civilization, this area that has for millions of years been home to sea turtles and albatross is now home to the largest floating garbage dump the planet has ever seen.
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, as it is often called is an ever growing mat of swirling plastic. This includes just about every plastic item that has ever been manufactured (and that’s a lot), as well as abandoned nets. In the sunlight and seawater these plastics tend to degrade into even smaller particles that form an even denser mat.
This is tremendously dangerous to wildlife, that is increasingly found dead, having starved to death with a belly full of the stuff, unable to process food.
