Toxic Plastic Trash Drift in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre Final Paper

TOXIC PLASTIC TRASH

DRIFT IN THE NORTH

PACIFIC SUBTROPICAL

GYRE

ABSTRACT Polymer-based plastic pollutants

have become a potential hazard

and disruption of the ecosystem

and environment. The North

Pacific Subtropical Gyre, where

scientist recently collected

floating debris, and then

conducted experiments. The

results indicate the NPSG

currently holds the highest

accumulation of microplastics

compared to the other four

subtropical gyres. Marine plants,

animals, and non-marine species

encounter difficult challenges as

additional debris continues to

enter and drift away from its

source. North America, China,

and Japan are the predominate

contributors responsible for land

origin pollutants. Ships,

however, lose or intentionally

cut their fishing lines which can

quickly effect organism who

sadly become entangled in the

nets. Discarded fishing line, also

manufactured out of plastic

materials, generally gets

ingested that ultimately causes

death of the animal. If a

consuming animal survives

ingesting toxic plastics, a

predator would bio-accumulate

all the toxins. Once the prey is

consumed, the predator

becomes the host of the toxic

pollutants that originally

accumulated in the first animal.

Kameron Johnson Geos 410


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Introduction

In the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre region, the dependency on plastics to

accommodate our “Throwaway Living” society has led to an increase in plastic accumulation in

the Pacific. Pre-production pellets, plastic pellets in face wash, and pollution from sea vessels

are the main contributors of plastics ending up in the pacific. The photodegradation processes,

is the process where the sun breaks down polymer plastics at the molecular level creating

micro-plastics. This paper describes the key characteristics of the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre region,

then analyzes the scientific and social scientific understanding of the photodegradation process. The

resulting effects potentially alter the entire ecological and ecosystems of the region threatening the

livelihoods of marine and non-marine species. Finally potential policy concepts are analyze that

if implemented, could provide assistance in educating the general population about the truth

behind polymer microplastics, and also development of potentially new compound mixtures.

The new mixtures could enable polluted plastic products manufactured to become the first

engineered plastic that completely degrade during the photodegradation cycle.

The North Pacific Subtropical Gyre

The North Pacific Subtropical Gyre (NPSG) resides in the planets largest body of water

and encompasses such a large area that the currents are effected by the atmospheric

conditions of prevailing winds and amount of sunlight. The prevailing warm water current flows

from the equator to the cooler waters located closer to the Artic. “The NPSG is the largest

circulation feature on our planet and the Earth’s largest contiguous biome” (Howell pg. 17).

The gyre gets its clockwise rotation due to the prevailing current distribution where a


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convergence zone forms. The center or main location of the plastic debris drift is,

“approximately 20-400 N, 120-1550 W” (Goldstein pg. 1).

This NSPG is a popular shipping lane for cargo transportation, fishing vessels, and

vacation cruises. This is the source of the human pollutants. Fishing nets and lines that either

broke or purposely discarded, are made up of nylon and other synthetic fibers all of which are

harmful to the environment. Discarded nets are literal death traps for unsuspecting animals

who become entangled leading to an untimely death by starvation or suffocation for air

breathing mammals. When an extremely large net or a bundle of a variety of synthetic ropes

reaches a coral reef, the ecological damage can be devastating to the overall health of the reef.

Live coral heads are easily caught in the fibers leading to the decrease in the population of coral

that remain to protect the shoreline of Pacific Islands.

The decade after the Second World War, the commercial use of plastics increased

exponentially causing overflow in local dumps. Also with this increased demand, pre-production

resin pellets would get spilled or mishandled during transportation and with the help of wind,

find their way into the ocean. “Every year some 5.5 quadrillion (5.5x1015) plastic pellets-about

250 billion pounds of them are produced worldwide for use in the manufacture of plastic

products” (Moore pg. 5). Once in the ocean, the molecular structure of plastic is unable to

biodegrade. Larger debris pieces break down into smaller and smaller pieces by the process of

photodegradation. Photodegradation occurs when ultra violet light rays from the sun breaking

down the molecular bonds of the plastics reducing the plastic back to a single molecular state.

Goldstein determined, “Environmental impacts of small plastic particles less than 5mm in


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diameter, termed “microplastic,” include ingestion, accumulation of toxins, and alteration of

the pelagic habitat through the addition of hard substrate” (Goldstein pg. 1).

Ingestion of microplastics by both marine and non-marine animals usually occurs by

mistaken drifting plastic debris as possible food. Small bottle caps, children’s toys, and any

small piece of plastic debris with red or bright colors are the most common items found in the

stomachs of deceased animals. “Negative effects of plastic ingestion may include intestinal

blockage, diminished feeding stimulus, lowered steroid hormone levels, delayed ovulation and

reproduction failure…may also increase toxic exposure” (Goodwin pg. 2). Another major

concern with polymer plastics is their ability to absorb other toxic waste like a sponge. Hidalgo-

Ruz describes how, “microplastics can absorb persistent bio-accumulative and toxic compounds

(PBT) from seawater, which include persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and metals” (Hidalgo-

Ruz pg. 3060). Different types of polymer plastics consist of heterogeneous assemblage with

multiple varieties in size, shape, color, specific density, chemical composition, along with other

characteristics. In fact, “microplastics have a larger surface area to volume ratio than

macroplastics and are more susceptible to contamination by airborne pollutants” (Ivar do Sul

pg. 358).

The Dangers of a Throwaway Society

It’s hard to imagine that every single day, millions and millions of humans encounter

everyday items that are produced from plastic. Plastic was developed to be used as a reliable

and durable container that would not only protect valuable supplies but also allow for mass

production to keep up with demand. Ivar do Sul states that, “plastic means “malleable” or


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“flexible” which is another favorable feature of synthetic plastics…while using versatile

materials that are inexpensive, lightweight, strong, durable, and corrosion-resistant” (Ivar do

Sul pg. 352). The overall success of plastic has inevitably caused the majority of developed

countries to become dependent on materials that are produce from production plastic pellets.

This dependency has created the ideology of “Throwaway Living’ where everyday goods are

produced with plastic resins designed into one-time-use items (e.g. bottled water, grocery bags,

and food storage bags), that have become the most abundant items that somehow makes its

way into the ocean.

The components that go into the development of plastic goods consist of several

chemicals that are harmful to the local ecosystem. According to the Environmental Pollution

journal, “most widely used synthetic plastics are low and high density polyethylene (PE),

polypropylene (PP), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polystyrene (PS) and polyethylene terephthalate

(PET)” (Ivar do Sul pg. 352). The difference in the densities of the polymer based plastics effects

the buoyancy of the debris. This results in concentration layers of materials starting with the

more buoyant at the water’s surface to the less buoyant objects that are able to collect on the

ocean floor.

These multiple layers create several ecological obstacles that ultimately result in the

reduction of nutrients and changes in natural global cycles. Sunlight becomes distorted or

completely blocked disrupting the natural photosynthesis of marine plants. Once

photosynthesis stops, concentration of nitrogen and carbon becomes reduced which decreases

nutrient levels and sunlight amount. This ultimately begins increasing the concentration carbon


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dioxide of the seawater. Hayward describing how primary production is crucial to the global

carbon cycle and pelagic ecosystem structure, concludes that “the transport rate is dependent

upon the level of primary production” (Hayward pg 281). The carbon dioxide concentration

measured by the transport rate creates two categories of “new” or “regenerated” which are

determined by the limiting nutrient source.

The formation of plastic consists of lengthy chains of polymeric molecules that are a

combination of organic and inorganic materials. Organic ingredients are primarily fossil fuels

combined with inorganic elements carbon, chloride, hydrogen, oxygen, and silicon. According

to the documentary Plastic Paradise: The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, was stated that, “Plastic

has ended up being one of mankind’s perfect” (1). The material and molecular structure of

plastic does not biodegrade meaning that every single piece of plastic every produce is still on

the Earth.

As mentioned earlier, the composition of the molecular structure of synthetic plastics

allow for the easy absorption of toxic pollutants that have also accumulated due to human

negligence. Once these toxins become absorbed into the plastic, the toxins are permanently

absorbed becoming part of the animal who initially ingested the toxic debris. This process is

known as bioaccumulation, where the harmful toxins are fully absorbed into the blood and

muscles of an organism. This is where more studying is needed to determine and understand

the long-term effects on marine and non-marine organisms as well as the overall NPSG

environment. “One study estimated that more than 267 species have been documented to

ingest plastic, including mammals, turtles, and a wide variety of fish” (Goodwin pg. 1).


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Discovery and Research Methods of The Great Pacific Garbage Patch

Captain Charles Moore is responsible for discovering the drifting plastic debris in the

North Pacific Subtropical Gyre and is the leader in the debris collection and quest to better

understand the effects this unnatural material capable of altering the entire region. The Alguita

research vessel is vital in collecting and determining the micro-plastic concentration with nets

and towing methods. “Oceanographer Curtis Ebbesmeyer began referring to the garbage area

as the “eastern garbage patch” along with “estimating the area, nearly covered with floating

debris, is roughly the size of Texas” (Moore pg. 1). Goldstein makes the point that “floating

plastic was first documented in the North Pacific and North Atlantic in the early 1970’s”

(Goldstein pg. 1). However, the exact concentration and size of the NPSG toxic plastic drift is

unknown due to a lack of focus from the scientific community until the early 1990’s.

After the scientific community acknowledge the negative consequences the plastics

pose to disrupting the natural environmental balance, research and models have evolved to try

and understand the full extent of problem. The Algalita Marine Research Foundation was

founded in 1994 by Charles Moore, and is leading the quest in research, education, and

restoring the marine environment. Oceanographer W. James Ingraham Jr. working for the

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) developed the, “Ocean Surface

Current Simulator (OSCURS) that predicts the trajectory of drift originating along the coasts of

the North Pacific Rim” (Moore pg. 2). Thanks to the OSCURS model, it has been predicted that

plastic debris generally takes not quite two decades to reach the center of circulation of the

NPSG.


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Collection of both large and small pieces of debris are collected by net sampling (manta

tow & surface towing), visual observation, sub-mesoscale sampling schemata, and

oceanographic data. Once collected, barnacles that have attached themselves to larger drift

debris can be examined. The study of Gooseneck Barnacles finds, “33.5% of barnacles collected

have ingested microplastics, and the sizes and types of ingested particles were approximately

representative of microplastic found on the NPSG surface” (Goodwin pg. 8). The ingested

particles by these barnacles showed multiple plastic types including a rubber tire that was

extracted from a collected NPSG barnacle.

Another method being used to find the total accumulation of microplastics is to

compare the ratio of dry plastic mass to zooplankton biomass that have attached themselves

on debris drifting in the NPSG current. This has proven to be very difficult, if not practically

impossible due to the wide range of buoyancy of the debris plus the continuous movement of

the currents and wind. The disruption caused by this process complicates researchers efforts to

accurately determine the over area of the garbage patch. Estimated value ranges have been,

“roughly the size of Texas” (Moore pg. 1), twice the size of Texas, and even extreme estimations

such as the size of the continental United States.

Educating the General Public and Potential Political Measure’s

The consequences that are associated with the plastic pollutants drifting around the

North Pacific are finally being met. However, the general public still remains unaware of the

fact that plastic being used on a daily basis is threatening the natural balance of one of the

biggest geological features on the Earth. When I ask random individuals if they know or are


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aware of the plastic garbage patch consuming the North Pacific Gyre. Only a handful had heard

about the drifting debris but didn’t understand the possible negative implications on the

environment. The majority have never been informed about the accumulation of discarded

plastics which is altering the overall composition of the Earth’s largest body of water.

With the excessive number of the general population still unaware of this issue even

after several decades of discovery. Educational opportunities should be designed to inform and

begin the mitigation process to reduce the amount of plastic waste. A key misconception that

has been incorrectly delivered or misconstrued is that plastics are recyclable and reusable. The

truth about plastic bottles which are labeled as recycled by companies only contain 30% of

recycled plastic with the remaining 70% comprising of newly manufactured resins. The fine

print under the so called “plant bottle” is the only accurate statement informing about this gap

between new and reused plastic resin that is used in the manufacturing of the bottle. If the

general public of the United States and China where the majority of the ocean litter originates,

any reduction in new plastic pollutants ending up in the Pacific Ocean would be impossible. If

the rate of everyday, single use plastic commodities continue at the current rate, a threshold

eventually will be crossed that would inevitably change both the environment and ecosystem in

permanent ways. Today, even popular and famous beaches located on the eastern side of

Pacific Islands are covered daily with thousands and thousands of pieces of plastics which end

up being washed up onshore by the tides. Overall, “public concern about plastic debris in

marine ecosystems has grown in recent years, resulting in several governmental and non-

governmental reports” (Goldstein pg. 9).


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These governmental and non-governmental reports are important in educating the

general public on the cause and effects of the potential environmental consequences in the

Pacific. International cooperation especially with China and Japan, where the second highest

accumulation of plastic debris originates, would be a giant step forward in the mitigation policy

process. However, even with new implemented policies that would decrease the continued

accumulation of new debris, the complete stoppage of new accumulation and removal of

existing debris is physically impossible. “Considering that microplastics cannot be effectively

removed from the ocean, future studies are necessary to understand how biological agents and

abiotic factors affect the transfer, accumulation, and further breakdown of microplastics and to

describe the potential impacts of this debris” (Hidalgo-Ruz pg. 3072). Additionally, no amount

of money that is even in existence that could be used to fund the removal efforts.

With the increasing evidence of increasing polymer-based plastic pollutants ability to

disrupt the ecosystem, the biggest and most pressing policy should be funding new plastic

materials that could completely dissolve during photodegradation. This new “green” plastic

should consist of material agents that could be recycled in a similar manner as old milk jugs and

aluminum cans. Improvements have already taken place in the development and

manufacturing of plastics. I recently read an online article that a team from the University of

South Dakota had produced a plastic compound that could potentially fully photodegrade in

only 3 hours. If this turns out to become the first plastic substance to fully degrade, the

concentration of new plastic debris polluting the gyre could begin to decrease.


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Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical agent used in the production of many common products

most notably water bottles and receipt coatings. BPA was developed by the government as a

potential medication for birth control by increasing the amount of estrogen of the patient. After

the BPA testing trial proved the substance to be ineffective as a drug, the compound began to

be used as a coating which improved the strength and durability of plastic products. The

controversy surrounding BPA is the coating rubs off the plastic entering our bodies by simple

tasks as drinking from a water bottle or even looking over your grocery receipt. Once contact is

made, it quickly absorbs into the blood stream potentially causing higher levels of estrogen

levels in all humans. The chemical can also be absorbed by fish who ingest microplastics

developed with Bisphenol A. Scientist have recently developed reusable water bottles with

plastic produced BPA free. The development of this new plastic compound is a positive sign that

the possibility of one day discovering the right mixture that can change plastics forever.

With the human population right around 7 billion and future growth to be close to 10

billion by the end of the century, the amount of plastic goods produced and consumed could

increase tenfold. Policies and new ideas on inventing biodegradable molecular compounds that

could be used to replace the current non-biodegradable polymer plastics. Cooperation from the

leading manufacturing companies of pre-production resin pellets would be beneficial by

knowing the process that goes into producing new formulas, labs to produce, and testing

facilities to determine the quality of the experimental compound.

Conclusion


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The North Pacific Subtropical Gyre is one of only four subtropical gyre systems on the

Earth but in terms of area is the largest. Since the invention of plastics in the late 19th century

and perfected in the 20th, the plastic debris ultimately ends up permanently drifting along the

currents circular flow. Since plastics are non-biodegradable, environmental and ecological

disruptions become less and less stable as photodegradation breaks down the debris into

microplastics. Once the pieces become small enough, animals ingest the microplastics

misinterpreting it as food. Plastics and especially microplastics absorb other toxic pollutants

which once ingested by any living organism is absorbed into the muscles and passed on if the

first organism falls victim to a predator.

With the environmental interaction and consequences due to polymer-based plastic

pollutants becoming better understood, the work to start mitigating the additional

accumulation of future plastic debris, the Pacific Ocean can begin the slow process of filtering

the concentration of microplastics already drifting throughout the gyre. Founder of the Pacific

Garbage Patch, Captain Charles Moore is on record by stating, “it would take the entire world

population around a billion years to clean up all of the microplastics accumulated in the NPSG”

With this knowledge, humans as a species unable to clean up or reverse the negative effects

already caused to the environment. However, we cannot continue to believe that we are

helpless to discover new ideas and innovations that could be beneficial and environmentally

friendly. The North Pacific Subtropical Gyre is vital to the health and survival of both marine and

non-marine species that call the Pacific Ocean home.


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Maps, Images, and Tables

The poster estimates the different types of

plastic products that end up polluting the

Pacific. This propaganda poster is a good

example on educating the population of the

general waste of plastic commodities and the

negative environmental effects to those

organisms who encounter the plastic debris.

The map shows the NPSGs

rotational current flow. The

study area shows where the

most research and sample

collection site and puts in the

perspective how small the

area is producing the data.

This is a good map displaying

the size of the gyres impact.


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This data table details the

majority of the trash that has

been recovered during

research expeditions.

Surface towing net used to

collect even the tiniest

microplastics. The material

collected is then analyzed to

determine the concentration

of plastic to sea water ratio.


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Captain Charles Moore, founder of the NPSG

garbage patch, is standing on Big Island Beach

which is covered with plastic debris. High tide

brings ashore tons of polluted plastic depositing

the debris across several Pacific Islands beaches.

This Midway Atoll has become a normal occurrence as these birds

ingest plastic debris such as bottle caps and fishing line. Midway

Island contains about 70% of the species that come here to mate.

Nest are built among the washed up debris and provide thousands

of microplastics that can be feed to their chicks.


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Annotated Bibliography

1) Juliana A. Ivar do Sul, Monica F. Costa, “The Present and Future of Microplastic Pollution

in the Marine Environment.” Environmental Pollution (2014), pages 352-364.

2) Evan A. Howell, Steven J. Bograd, Carey Morishige, Michael P. Seki, Jeffrey J. Polovina,

“On North Pacific Circulation and Associated Marine Debris Concentration.” Marine

Pollution Bulletin 65 (2012), pages 16-22.

3) Miriam C. Goldstein, Andrew J. Titmus, Michael Ford, “Scales of Spatial Heterogeneity of

Plastic Marine Debris in the Northeast Pacific Ocean.” PLOS one Volume 8 Issue 11,

(November 2013), pages 1-11.

4) Miriam C. Goldstein, Deborah S. Goodwin, “Gooseneck Barnacles (Lepas spp.) Ingest

Microplastic Debris in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre.” PeerJ (2013), pages 1-17.

5) Valeria Hildalgo-Ruz, Lars Gutow, Richard C. Thompson, Martin Thiel, “Microplastics in

the Marine Environment: A Review of Methods Used for Identification and

Quantification.” Environmental Science and Technology (2012), pages 3060-3075.

6) Charles Moore, “Trashed: Across the Pacific Ocean, Plastics, Plastics Everywhere.”

Natural History Magazine INC (2003), pages 1-8.

7) Thomas L. Hayward, “Primary Production in the North Pacific Central Gyre: A

Controversy with Important Implications.” Tree, Volume 9, (September 1991), pages

281-284.

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Toxic Plastic Trash Drift in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre Final Paper