Jennifer Marohasy

a forum for the discussion of issues concerning the natural environment

Floating Pacific Rubbish Dump

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A vast rubbish dump, which covers an area bigger than Australia, is floating in the Pacific Ocean and research shows it is growing bigger.

The rubbish collects in one area because of a clockwise trade wind that circulates around the Pacific rim.

ABC News: ‘Pacific ‘rubbish superhighway’ going unnoticed’

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Helen Mahar says

    The tragedy of the commons writ large. Nobody owns the area, so body is responsible for it, or has a vested interest in looking after it.

  2. Ian Mott says

    So this area is the size of Australia? But what is the density of the flotsam?

    If the floating material covered only 25% of each square metre in that area then it would be a very significant cause of Global Cooling. It would drastically alter the oceanic albedo and thereby reduce warming.

    Perhaps we could help it all along by binding it all together in larger lumps that produce much greater cooling.

    But what if it has already operated to reduce evaporation from that location? (Junk) food for thought.

  3. Schiller Thurkettle says

    This is yet another failure to “call for” some “much-needed further investigation and study.”

    It’s entirely possible that this putative garbage dump is making a major contribution to oceanic biodiversity.

    In fact, it’s more than likely. A floating ocean habitat for endangered/marginal species could be a boon for aquatic flora and fauna.

    Okay, okay… the freaks will say, “but it’s human-induced!”

    My answer is, do a study and find out if the flora and fauna like it. (Horrors! What would we do if they *did* like it?)

  4. Louis Hissink says

    I looked at the link posted by Paul and find the image incomprehensible – it lacks geographical data such as latitude and longitudes.

    So the image is possibly nothing to do with the subject at all.

    Of course Ender, Luke and SJT might wax ignorantly, and then they would, wouldn’t they. (Or how to form a mountain from a molehill).

  5. Ian Mott says

    If one were to bundle the floating debris in layers of fine and stronger coarse netting it would last longer. Add a set of poles beneath to hold a solid disc of denser garbage forms and one would eventually have a floating reef.

    Cover the top with highly reflective foil and we would have a highly productive aquatic habitat that stores garbage long term and which also substantially increases oceanic albedo from about 3.5% to 95%, especially in the calm tropical doldrums where clouds are few and surface temperatures are highest.

    We currently pay to deposit garbage in landfills so why not pay to convert it to fish habitat that will cool things down? There is enough garbage to offset global warming.

    But that might eliminate the problem and the scumnoscenti would then need to invent another one, wouldn’t they?