The Skriker Actor Packet

Out of Sight, Out of Mind?
The Great Pacific Garbage patch
The Great Pacific Garbage patch is a collection or marine litter trapped in a gyre in the
central North Pacific Ocean about twice the size of Texas. An estimated 80% of the
garbage comes from land-based sources, and 20% from ships. The plastic debris is
trapped by the currents of the North Pacific Gyre and remains there in a vortex. There
have been several organizations launched to attempt to cleanup what has been deemed
as “the world’s largest dump”, but some fear it’s nearly an impossible feat. The
accumulation of garbage is not only disgusting, but a danger; both to marine life, and to
us.
“‘In the central North Pacific Gyre, pieces of plastic outweigh surface zooplankton by a
factor of 6 to 1,’ according to a report based on Charles Moore’s research. ‘Ninety
percent of Laysan albatross chick carcasses and regurgitated stomach contents contain
plastics. Fish and seabirds mistake plastic for food. Plastic debris releases chemical
additives and plasticizers into the ocean. Plastic also adsorbs hydrophobic pollutants
like PCBs and pesticides like DDT. These pollutants bioaccumulate in the tissues of
marine organisms, biomagnify up the food chain, and find their way into the foods we
eat.’”
Excerpt from “Great Pacific Garbage Patch” by Tim B. Todd