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Paddling through debris : photo courtesy KFOL

It is uncertain how much debris from the devastating earthquake & tsunami in Japan will reach Hawaiian shores, but University of Hawaii scientists have created models tht predict the first waves of debris to arrive in 18 months.

This map is an oversimplification of ocean currents and features in the Pacific Ocean. There are numerous
factors that affect the location, size, and strength of all of these features throughout the year,
including seasonality and El Nino/La Nina.

The “garbage patch,” as referred to in the media, is an area of marine debris concentration in the North Pacific Ocean. The name “garbage patch” has led many to believe that this area is a large and continuous patch of easily visible marine debris items such as bottles and other litter—akin to a literal blanket of trash that should be visible with satellite or aerial photographs.

This is simply not true. While litter items can be found in this area, along with other debris such as derelict fishing nets, much of the debris mentioned in the media these days refers to small bits of floatable plastic debris. These plastic pieces are quite small and not immediately evident to the naked eye.

Eastern Pacific garbage patch - Concentrations of marine debris have been noted in an area midway between Hawai‘i and California within the North Pacific Subtropical High, an area between Hawaii and California. Due to limited marine debris samples collected in the Pacific it is still difficult to predict its exact content, size, and location. However, marine debris has been quantified in higher concentrations in the calm center of this high-pressure zone compared to areas outside this zone.

It should be noted that the North Pacific Subtropical High is not a stationary area, but one that moves and changes. This area is defined by the NOAA National Weather Service as "a semi-permanent, subtropical area of high pressure in the North Pacific Ocean. It is strongest in the Northern Hemispheric summer and is displaced towards the equator during the winter when the Aleutian Low becomes more dominant. Comparable systems are the Azores High and the Bermuda High." The High is not a stationary area, but one that rotates, moves, and changes.

Diagram source: Greenpeace

Marine debris is a historical problem that continues to grow. The world’s oceans and waterways are constantly polluted with a wide variety of marine debris ranging from soda cans and plastic bags to derelict fishing gear and abandoned vessels. Many animals, such as sea turtles, seabirds, and marine mammals, have been known to ingest marine debris, which may lead to loss of nutrition, internal injury, intestinal blockage, starvation, and even death.

Derelict fishing gear, such as fishing nets and lines, poses entanglement hazards for marine life, can smother the living substrate upon which it settles, and can serve as a vector for the introduction of alien species. Marine debris is an international concern not only because it washes up on beaches and shorelines worldwide, but also because debris can be transferred from one country to another via ocean currents and because it impacts commercial fisheries throughout the world. International cooperation is needed to create public awareness while developing ways to decrease the amount of debris in oceans around the globe.

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