The Great Pacific Garbage Patch

Flotsam, jetsam, and then some

Photo by Jag_cz

an endless expanse 
of blue-green water 

stretching as far 
as the eye can see

but look closer and 
you'll know the truth

here
      plastic bottles bob up and down in the waves
      tangled with fishing nets and discarded ropes
here
      plastic bags twist and turn
      caught in the currents
here
      styrofoam containers 
      break apart releasing

tiny particles of micro-plastic 
that will never biodegrade

this is a place 
where ocean inhabitants 

die torturous deaths
sea-turtles whales dolphins 

mistake plastic for food
ingesting it and choking to death

birds and fish become entangled in 
plastic bags and fishing nets unable to escape

the garbage patch 
is a tragedy

indisputable evidence of
our carelessness

and a warning that we 
must change our ways

Author’s Note

• Human-generated trash is constantly entering the ocean, resulting in the formation of five enormous garbage patches, located where the world's ocean currents converge, changing shape along with the waves. The largest garbage patch, known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch or the North Pacific Garbage Patch, was previously believed to be devoid of life due to the harmful nature of plastics and fishing gear. However, recent studies have revealed the existence of an entire ecosystem thriving within this accumulation of trash. Read more.

• The Ocean Cleanup organization has deployed its largest system to date to clean the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

• This video explains that the Great Pacific Garbage Patch covers a huge area, but is no floating island of trash.

I do not endorse any of the organizations to which I provide links. Links are for informational use only.

Upcoming…

• A flash fiction piece, second of three endings to The Beginning:

  The Final Frontier, 18 November 2023

The Final Frontier

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