By Pamela Mar

The giant island of garbage in the Pacific Ocean is growing at high speed, according to new research published in the journal Nature.

According to the study, this area of ​​waste that expands 1.6 million square kilometers – that is, almost three times the size of France – contains about 80 thousand tons of plastic.

This value is 16 times higher than previously reported.

A specific location within that area also has the highest concentration of plastic ever recorded.

“The concentration of plastic is increasing, I think the situation is getting worse,” said Laurent Lebreton, lead author of the Ocean Cleanup Foundation study in Deltf, The Netherlands.

Garbage accumulates in all the oceans, but the biggest one is in the Pacific, between Hawaii and California.

This area of ​​rubbish is often described as a mass or an island, although in reality it is an area with a high concentration of plastic that increases as it approaches its center.

“Shocking” amount

The researchers used boats and airplanes to map this area in the northern Pacific Ocean, where rotating currents and winds converge to make marine debris, including plastic, algae and plankton.

Microplastics represent 8% of the total floating plastic mass.

Of the 1.8 billion pieces of plastic, some are larger than microplastics, including pieces of fishing nets, toys and even a toilet seat.

The following is estimated:
► Plastics represent 99.9% of all waste in this part of the ocean.

► When 46% less plastics are fishing nets and more than three quarters of the pieces of plastic were more than 5 cm, including rigid plastics include, plastic sheets and plastic wrap.

► A few more residues were crushed into fragments while observing a small number of objects: containers, bottles, lids, packaging tapes, ropes and fishing nets.

► In the 50 objects, the production date can be read: one was from 1977, seven from the 80s, 17 from the 90s, 24 from the 2000s and one from 2010.

► Only one type of garbage was thick enough to float and stay in place, like ordinary plastics, like polyethylene and polypropylene, which are used in packaging.

Each year, millions of tons of plastic enter the ocean. Some parts end up in the large circulation systems of ocean currents, known as loops.

Plastic Island

Some of the objects that were found.

Once caught in the twists and turns, plastics disintegrate and become microplastics, and this is how they can be ingested by sea creatures.

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(Photos Google images)