A Sea of Plastic

Charles Moore and Miwa Tamanaha, Pelagic Plastic Task Force Organizers 11apr01

Uses and Marketing

Fact 1) High strength to weight ratio
Fact 2) Impermeable packaging against water and air
Fact 3) Inexpensive

The North Pacific High

1. The North Pacific Central Gyre

Fact 1) Largest rotating surface ocean system on earth
Fact 2) Rotational period of about 5.7 years from  Asia to North America back around Hawaii
Fact 3) At approx. 11 million square miles it is equal to the ozone hole in size, or the area of the continent of Africa

Tarballs, Plastic Pellets and MARPOL

2. Virgin Plastic Pellets

Fact 1) Over 100 billion pounds produced annually in the US alone
Fact 2) 54% sink, 46% float (source: "Plastic Pellets in the Aquatic Environment", EPA pub. 1991)
Fact 3) Most common contaminant on Orange County CA beaches between August and September, 1998 at 105,161,101 pellets weighing 4,780  pounds (source: "Composition and Distribution of Beach Debris in Orange County, California" S. L. Moore, et. al., 1999, SCCWRP)