The Garbage Isles: It's Time to Save the World

RUNNING HEAD THE GARBAGE ISLES: IT’S TIME TO SAVE THE WORLD
The Garbage Isles: It’s Time to Save the World
DJ Byrne
College of Western Idaho
Abstract
When you envision the ocean you see vast, roaring waves and an expansion of a teal sea that sparkles as it chases the setting sun to the horizon. You can imagine how the sand feels between your toes and the scattered shells along the beach; the allure of the moist, cool ocean air fills your lungs and tickles your nose. Unfortunately in a few short years, when we think of the ocean we may have a different vision of the ocean. What we will see is a vast waste dump, where plastic bottles will float with the rotting marine life. The air will be toxic and reek of poison and decay, While our beaches once piled with sand are now layered with bits of plastic and rubber; cell phones, broken coca cola bottles, soda cans and tooth brushes. Approximately 1000 miles off the coast of Hawaii there is a massive landmass comprised solely of trash. This floating waste pile is approximately twice the size of Texas, finding precise measurements of the island are difficult because it is constantly growing! To make matters worse, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is one of five garbage patches, although the other four are much smaller. Yes, one of the greatest environmental disasters has been going on for a while now and it’s still not common knowledge. We can’t just sit back and let this happen to Earth. We need to clean up this mess and recycle it, as the world does have limited recourses. From there we should continue to recycle so we can prevent this from destroying our home. Curious as to what that much waste can do to our oceans? The truth is it’s catastrophic.
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is characterized by exceptionally high concentrations of pelagic plastics, chemical sludge, and debris that have been trapped in the North Pacific Gyre (a gyre is a large system of rotating ocean currents, and are caused by the...