Great Pacific Patch paper
When the word landfill comes to mind, many of us think of disposal sites where solid waste, such as paper, glass, and metal, is buried between layers of dirt and other materials to reduce contamination of the surrounding land. Not all garbage ends up at the dump location intended. A river, sewer or beach cannot catch everything the rain-washes away either. In fact, Earth's largest landfill isn't on land at all. Unheard- of to many is another type of landfill, the largest landfill in the world to be exact, which isn’t visible from land. Today many are referring this landfill to be known as the “Eighth Continent”, or The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, which is a “nebulous, floating junk yard on the high seas” that stretches for hundreds of miles across the North Pacific Ocean (McLendon, 2010). I have observed that this is an incredible issue occurring today worldwide affecting our environment caused by a large amount of pollution. Today I will be talking about how the world’s largest landfill is formed, the global health effects it’s causing, and actions that can be taken to prevent The Great Pacific Patch to grow any further.
Many of you might be wondering, How does is this Garbage patch form in the middle of the ocean? Well to answer that question it did not form on its own. The North Pacific Subtropical Gyre is a spiral of seawater where warm water from the South Pacific collides with cooler water from the north, and this is where the garbage comes together. This gyre is quickly becoming a plastic landscape, filled with waste and debris from human disposal. Interesting enough the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is more than just a floating island, but also involves debris that is located underwater for miles. Consisting mainly of plastic, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch isn’t biodegradable, meaning “the microbes that break down other substances don’t recognize plastic as food, leaving it to float there forever” according to the Mother Nature Network. Even
Many of you might be wondering, How does is this Garbage patch form in the middle of the ocean? Well to answer that question it did not form on its own. The North Pacific Subtropical Gyre is a spiral of seawater where warm water from the South Pacific collides with cooler water from the north, and this is where the garbage comes together. This gyre is quickly becoming a plastic landscape, filled with waste and debris from human disposal. Interesting enough the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is more than just a floating island, but also involves debris that is located underwater for miles. Consisting mainly of plastic, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch isn’t biodegradable, meaning “the microbes that break down other substances don’t recognize plastic as food, leaving it to float there forever” according to the Mother Nature Network. Even