Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch

[Red Sky]

B.S. on the Internet? Say it ain't so. LOL

[downunder]

Originally Posted by JETTEST

.................................................. ....................I have seen DOZENS of little atolls, reefs, and tiny land masses that aren't depicted on any charts I could find. Pretty cool. The sheer size of that ocean and the thought that humans have never set foot on parts of it always amazes me. Part of the reason I took up sailing.

Anyway I'll keep looking!

Bit scary but I doubt it would be so. They must be on the area charts or there would be plenty more sinkings.

We have enough hitting stuff that is marked on charts.

[Paul Elliott]

Originally Posted by John A

Paul,
Please forgive me for taking issue with you, but I did do some reseach. If you would click on the following. You would find hundreds of articles that deal with the garbage patch within the Pacific High.

pacific garbage patch facts - Bing
I question claims that people have sailed thru the Pacific high as it is an area to be avoided as, by all the accounts I have heard there is no wind.

Skirting the Pacific High | Cruising World

The high pressure area moves north in the summer and south in the winter it also moves back and forth east and west, so sometimes people sail where the high was - not is. The fact remains sir, there is a garbage patch and it is hugh

Please do more research on the Pacific High, and the North Pacific Gyre. They are *not* the same thing, and the Pacific High moves around constantly. I have sailed through the waters typically covered by the High, because sometimes time there *is* wind there. Other times I have motored through the windless regions.

Many times sailboats returning to the mainland will plan to sail until they reach about 30 or 35 degrees latitude, and carry enough fuel to then motor through the weak parts of the high. Most years there are dozens of sailboats that do exactly that.

The fact that you "question claims that people have sailed through the Pacific High" tells me that you still have a lot to learn about the region, or perhaps that you are using a misleadingly rigid definition. Plenty of people transit this region every year. I've done it numerous times.

Yes, there is too much garbage. Yes, it's mostly not visible from the surface. Many of the "Pacific Trash Heap" articles you find on the web are hyperbolic and misleading, in a misguided attempt to "raise awareness". Those are facts.

[jackdale]

Originally Posted by Paul Elliott

Please do more research on the Pacific High, and the North Pacific Gyre. They are *not* the same thing, and the Pacific High moves around constantly. I have sailed through the waters typically covered by the High, because sometimes time there *is* wind there. Other times I have motored through the windless regions.

The gyre is current in the water, the high is in the air, so to speak. They will compliment and exacerbate each other.

Sometimes the high stretches all the way across the Pacific as it did in 2000.

Many times sailboats returning to the mainland will plan to sail until they reach about 30 or 35 degrees latitude, and carry enough fuel to then motor through the weak parts of the high. Most years there are dozens of sailboats that do exactly that.

The fact that you "question claims that people have sailed through the Pacific High" tells me that you still have a lot to learn about the region, or perhaps that you are using a misleadingly rigid definition. Plenty of people transit this region every year. I've done it numerous times.

Yes, there is too much garbage. Yes, it's mostly not visible from the surface. Many of the "Pacific Trash Heap" articles you find on the web are hyperbolic and misleading, in a misguided attempt to "raise awareness". Those are facts.

Here are our tracks from last summer. The wind direction and velocity are visible if you start at the beginning run the animation. The wind was patchy.

Vic Maui 2012 Return - Powered by Yellowbrick Tracking

The trash did seem to be concentrated about half way home, but no floating islands of trash. That was true all three times. But it is easier to spot in flat water.

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by JETTEST

I have seen DOZENS of little atolls, reefs, and tiny land masses that aren't depicted on any charts I could find. Pretty cool. The sheer size of that ocean and the thought that humans have never set foot on parts of it always amazes me. Part of the reason I took up sailing.

Anyway I'll keep looking!

I think that your statement reflects more on the inadequacy of your chart portfolio than the existence of DOZENS of heretofore uncharted atolls, reefs and land masses.

Cheers,

Jim

[Reefmagnet]

There must be patches of physical garbage floating around the ocean somewhere. In 1998 we had a massive cyclone form in the Coral Sea (cyclone Justin) that lasted for about 3 weeks and threw 7 metre waves onto our beaches. The amazing thing was that in the aftermath there were literally thousands upon thousands of shoes and thongs (flip flops) dumped onto our beaches along the high tide mark in a very high concentration. There was some other garbage, but the quantity of footwear far outnumbered anything else. Some were obviously many years old and had been floating around for quite some time while others appeared reasonably new in age. What I found incredible was not only that so many shoes could be dumped onshore in such a small area, but - even after a few hours of searching - not a matching pair could be found.

[boatman61]

The Sargasso is similar... lots of trash floating slowly around with more being drawn in each year.. it was sad to see so many dead turtles last time I went through.. they will eat plastic bottles and bags...
I've seen bigger stuff as well.. commercial freezers, tractors tyres.. even a 6 man Banana...

[jackdale]

As of yet I have not seen one these.



'Moby-Duck': When 28,800 Bath Toys Are Lost At Sea : NPR

[captain58sailin]

I saw a video of a live mermaid once. They can't put it on the internet if it isn't true. I used to be a french model.

[GrowleyMonster]

Originally Posted by the_alpine

As stated above, it is not just giant pieces of trash floating around. Much of it is tiny and suspended in the water.

You've all heard of Midway Atoll I'm sure....

What about the plight of its resident Albatrosses????






Nah, doesn't exist....

For more enlightenment based on reality, see this: http://www.chrisjordan.com

All we need is more albatrosses. They will gobble up that garbage patch in no time at all. Result... a clean ocean. Recycle the plastic filled albatross carcasses into bleach jugs and pocket combs. There. Problem solved. NEXT!

[conachair]

Originally Posted by captain58sailin

I saw a video of a live mermaid once. They can't put it on the internet if it isn't true. I used to be a french model.

Google scholar filters out most of the crazies, can come in handy if you want to dig a bit deeper into topic which attracts lots of nutters.

pacific garbage vortex - Google Scholar

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by GrowleyMonster

All we need is more albatrosses. They will gobble up that garbage patch in no time at all. Result... a clean ocean. Recycle the plastic filled albatross carcasses into bleach jugs and pocket combs. There. Problem solved. NEXT!

Ahah... the famous.. or should I say infamous stuffed seagull... good for pulling the wool over the eyes of the landlocked...
Not so good for those who've seen how fussy these booga's can be..

[Paul Elliott]

"The thing about quotes on the internet is that you cannot confirm their validity." - Abraham Lincoln

[scoundrel]

Originally Posted by Paul Elliott

"The thing about quotes on the internet is that you cannot confirm their validity." - Abraham Lincoln

lol- good one.

[Lodesman]

Originally Posted by the_alpine

As stated above, it is not just giant pieces of trash floating around. Much of it is tiny and suspended in the water.

You've all heard of Midway Atoll I'm sure....

What about the plight of its resident Albatrosses????
Nah, doesn't exist....

For more enlightenment based on reality, see this: http://www.chrisjordan.com

The "garbage patch" is supposed to lie between 135 and 155ºW - Midway is at 177ºW (hence the name). Don't let facts get the way of a good rant