Do you know what are garbage patches? 

You go on a cruise and are admiring the nice oceanic waves standing on the deck when you accidently drop the can of coke that you were holding. This is how garbage in the oceans builds up. The can that you just lost will now be moved by gyres (the slow oceanic currents) to become a part of the giant whirlpool of oceanic trash called a garbage patch. But will you ever be able to retrieve it? Chances are minimal since it will most likely be reduced to tiny microplastics and will either move from one part of the ocean to another or will simply become some animal’s food.  

What are garbage patches? 
First, let us understand what exactly are garbage patches. They are large areas of garbage and debris in the oceans. But how do all this debris accumulate in one place? After all, it is not that all things get lost in only one place in the ocean. Well, that role is performed by gyres.  

What are gyres and what do they do? 
Gyres are oceanic currents that help in the circulation of ocean waters and drive the “ocean conveyor belt.” The ocean conveyor belt circulates ocean water. This ocean conveyor belt is essential for regulating temperature, salinity and nutrient flow throughout the ocean. Acting like enormous whirlpools while circulating ocean waters, gyres also accumulate floating objects including plastics and other marine debris end up pushing them closer to the middle of the ocean, where they can then accumulate in higher concentrations, thanks to diminished wind and wave action.  

How many gyres or patches are there?  
So that means, all oceans have these gyres and garbage patches? Of course, you are right. There are five gyres and inside them garbage patches - two each in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and one in the Indian Ocean, North Pacific, South Pacific, the North and South Atlantic, as well as the Indian Ocean, and a host of smaller ones. That said, scientists have not yet researched all the gyres very well. Out of the five, the North Pacific Gyre with the Great Pacific garbage patch remains the largest and most researched of the oceanic gyres, and less is known about the other four.  

What all do these garbage patches consist of? 
Primarily, microplastics. While heavier organic materials such as wood and metal might eventually degrade or sink to the bottom of the ocean, plastic such as plastic bottles, caps etc. breaks down into smaller pieces near the surface of the water as a result of abrasion, prolonged sun exposure, and degradation from prolonged contact to water. Gyres have thus become floating, soupy, masses of microplastics. Imagine these microplastics just swirling around, mixing in the water column from waves and wind, that's always moving and changing with the currents. Infact, you might not even see them if you sailed through the middle of the garbage patch!  

To give you a rough estimate, these microplastics make up as much as 60% of the floating plastic debris in the Great Pacific garbage patch of the North Pacific Gyre. The estimated area of the patch is 1.6 million square km with an estimated 80,000 tonnes of debris. Over 40% of the garbage is also from fishing nets and gear.  

So where does the debris come from? 
Most of the debris that can be found in the ocean comes from fishing trawlers that move in and out of international waters and includes lost or abandoned nets and fishing gear. Then there are items that were once part of ocean cargo but eventually became lost at sea. According to estimates, an average of 1,382 containers are lost to strong winds and high seas every year. Actually, the numbers could be much higher, since container losses aren't reported unless they have been swept overboard and are known to be transporting hazardous materials.  

How do the garbage patches affect our system? 
As these microplastics whirl around from one part of the ocean to another, they are ingested. Don’t think that you are safe either. While consuming that grilled salmon fish, you cannot be sure if it had some microplastics in its stomach which will now be transferred to yours. The larger debris such as ghost nets and fishing nets also pose a big problem; animals get stuck in them and die. . Don’t think that you are safe either. While consuming that grilled salmon fish, you cannot be sure if it had some microplastics in its stomach which will now be transferred to yours. The larger debris such as ghost nets and fishing nets also pose a big problem; animals get stuck in them and die.  

Can’t we clear the trash?  
So if we know that there is a garbage patch and its location in the ocean, can’t we get rid of it somehow? It’s not that simple. If you think of the patch as a blanket of trash that can easily be scooped up, you are wrong. For one, these patches are always moving and changing with the currents, so you don’t know where to clean them. Two, the microplastics can’t be seen with the naked eye. It is so closely intertwined with marine life that it is difficult to remove from the gyres. 

Bottomline 
So, the only solution is that we prevent debris from entering the ocean at the source. Create less waste, reuse what you can, remember to recycle.