To a large extent, the ocean’s currents determine the Earth’s weather events.  Much of the planet’s atmosphere reacts to the changing temperatures and oscillating dynamics of warm and cool water. Deep sea upwelling provides life giving nutrients and sustenance for marine life forms ranging from microscopic phytoplanktons on up to the colossal Blue Whale.  Unfortunately, these currents also serve as the unwitting transit medium for tons of floating land and shipping originated debris, moving it around the globe, depositing it on coastal catchments like Hawaii, or in the case of one spot in the remote east Pacific, a stationary, whirlpool-like vortex sitting in the middle of the ocean. 

Within the 60 million square miles of the Pacific Ocean, there exists a 10 million square mile system of rotating and counter-rotating currents called the North Pacific Gyre, where an accumulation of floating junk is gathering at its axis between Hawaii and California. Not exactly dense enough to stand on, but organized enough as to be unaffectionately dubbed “The Great Pacific Garbage Patch”, this undulating debris field has grown to an area currently estimated at twice the size of Texas!

The Earth’s major oceans each feature dominant currents.  The perpetual North Pacific Gyre spins clockwise between Asia and North America where it assembles trash in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, shown here as a red blotch. Illustration: NOAA

And it just so happens that the world’s most prolific manufacturers and consumers of plastic products border both sides of this great body of water, enabling the patch to become the broadest and fastest growing trash dump on the planet.  Weak environmental regulations permit heavy industrial Asian Pacific nations such as the Phillipines, China (Taiwan?), South Korea, and Japan to regularly and irresponsibly dump solids (as well as non-soluble effluent) into the ocean for decades.  I’m guessing that the western US and Mexico haven’t exactly been environmental angels either.

A hideous quagmire of bottles, cans, crates, nets, buckets, hoses, and probably a kitchen sink or two adorn a local high tide line.  Less than 1/5th of the world’s floating marine debris winds up deposited on beaches, where it can be cleaned up.  Most of it sinks or stays adrift.  Photo: NOAA

The 1,500 mile long Hawaiian archipelago is unlucky enough to be situated in the midst of this swirling mass of junk, and many of its beaches are miserably festooned with discarded plastics that don’t quite make the big patch party. The Northwest Hawaiian Islands, the world’s largest protected marine sanctuary, is awash in floating trash and endangered native fish, birds, monk seals, and other irreplaceable indigenous species ingest it and are sickened, maimed and/or killed as a result.

A perplexed Hawaiian Albatross ponders the hellish assortment of opala that has invaded its otherwise idyllic nesting areas throughout the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.  Photo: Ocean Conservancy

The mere presence of floating plastics and other solid materials is one thing, but their longevity and effect on the environment is a whole ‘nother ball ‘a wax.  Plastics can take decades, if not centuries, to completely break down. And even then, the degradation process involves the release of toxic synthetic polymers that propagate the ocean and coastal zones as the material dissolves and spreads.  The sun is the accelerating agent of the photo-degradation process, but it doesn’t shine 24/7.  Some of these polymers also have carcinogenic properties and can cause widespread ailments and genetic mutations in the animals that ingest them over long periods of time.

The ocean’s wildlife has little defense against man’s negligence.  This agonized seal grimaces as hooks and line tighten and cut into its flesh. Abandoned fishing equipment is probably the most prolific offender of wildlife in the Pacific.  Photo: NOAA

For all the havoc these materials cause to the environment, most of it consists of “single use” plastics such as beverage bottles, cigarette lighters and filters, bags, food wrappers, and the like.  A single carelessly discarded plastic bottle that is blown into the ocean can leach toxins into the water and impede the digestive tract of an endangered marine animal.  If or when the animal dies, the bag sinks with its host, where it eventually restarts its painfully slow decay once again, and could then be eaten by another animal.  One use, one bottle!  I see plastic stuff in the water all the time when I go surfing, and no matter how far I have to paddle, or how long I have keep it stuffed down my trunks, once I spot them, I won’t let a single one get away, knowing the chaos it can bring about. One time I even took a break from a great session to one arm paddle back to the beach a full-on plastic shower curtain that suddenly appeared under me on the Waianae coast (I thought it was giant squid and it scared me to death!).  I’ve resolved to never leave the beach without picking up trash (especially non-degradeables) and I hope other surfers and beachgoers can take a minute or two on the way up to the shower to do the same.

Thankfully, an essential procession of beach and ocean clean up projects continue around the globe, where tireless volunteers battle the onslaught of consumer gluttony, carelessness, and trash.  Photo: NOAA

There are several local organizations that hold volunteer beach clean ups year ‘round, and while participation is good, many more people and projects are needed to keep our islands beaches and ocean clean.  The events I participated in were very fulfilling, a great way to spend time with family, and more importantly, to demonstrate and ultimately pass the vigilance on to the next generation.  They’re really feel-good events, so take a day and try doing at least one.  Oh, and please don’t throw anymore shower curtains into the ocean, you’ll give me a heart attack!  Go to these links for more info:

NOAA: http://marinedebris.noaa.gov/marinedebris101//WhatCanDo.html
Beach.org: http://www.b-e-a-c-h.org/
Ocean Conservancy: http://www.oceanconservancy.org/site/PageServer?pagename=home
Adopt a Beach Hawaii: http://www.adoptabeachhawaii.com/