Content deleted Content added
→Deposits on landmasses: changed 'contain' to 'contained', since the Henderson Island study occurred 7 years ago, and more recent pictures (2020 via Google Maps) from the beaches have shown most large items have remained cleared. It is likely that the beach has remained cleaned or is even more polluted since the time of the study. |
m Fixed some formatting Tag: Reverted |
||
Line 1:
{{short description|Gyre of marine debris}}
{{Distinguish|Great Britain}}
[[File:Beach trash (30870156434).jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|Trash washed ashore in Hawaii from the [[Great Pacific Garbage Patch]]]]
A '''garbage patch''' is a [[ocean gyre|gyre]] of [[marine debris]] particles caused by the effects of [[ocean current]]s and increasing [[plastic pollution]] by human populations. These human-caused collections of plastic and other debris are responsible for ecosystem and environmental problems that affect marine life, contaminate oceans with toxic chemicals, and contribute to [[greenhouse gas emissions]]. Once waterborne, marine debris becomes mobile. Flotsam can be blown by the wind, or follow the flow of ocean currents, often ending up in the middle of [[oceanic gyre]]s where currents are weakest.
| |||