Rubbish dump found floating in Pacific Ocean is twice the size of America

[warezkid3]

A rubbish dump twice the size of the United States has been discovered floating in the Pacific Ocean.
The vast expanse of debris, made up of plastic junk including footballs, kayaks, Lego blocks and carrier bags, is kept together by swirling underwater currents.
It stretches from 500 nautical miles off the Californian coast, across the northern Pacific, past Hawaii and almost as far as Japan.
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Habbox UK Forum - Post New Thread'Plastic soup': The vast expanse of rubbish is kept together by swirling currents. It stretches from 500 nautical miles off the Californian coast, across the Pacific, past Hawaii and almost as far as Japan

Because the rubbish, which has been called a “plastic soup” and a “trash vortex”, is translucent and lies just below the water's surface it cannot be seen in satellite photographs.
American oceanographer Charles Moore discovered the Great Pacific Garbage Patch by chance in 1997 while taking a short cut home from a yacht race.
He said: “Every time I came on deck there was trash floating by. How could we have fouled such a huge area? How could this go on for a week?”

Around a fifth of sea junk is thrown off ships or oil platforms - the rest comes from land

He warned that the rubbish could double in size over the next decade if consumers do not cut back on their use of plastics. More than a million seabirds and 100,000 marine mammals die every year as a result of plastic rubbish.
Syringes, cigarette lighters and toothbrushes have all been found inside the stomachs of dead seabirds.
The rubbish can also be dangerous for humans, because tiny plastic pellets in the sea can attract man-made chemicals which then enter the food chain.
Research director Dr Marcus Eriksen said: “What goes into the ocean goes into these animals and onto your dinner plate. It's that simple.”
Oceanographer Curtis Ebbesmeyer compared the rubbish to a living entity. He said: “It moves around like a big animal without a leash.” Describing what happens when it reaches land, he said: “The garbage patch barfs, and you get a beach covered with this confetti of plastic.”
The rubbish dump is made up of two linked areas either side of Hawaii. Around one-fifth of the junk is thrown off ships or oil platforms, while the rest comes from the land.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.html?in_article_id=512424&in_page_id=1811

Bloody hell. that alot.

[Neversoft]

Found in 1997? Have you dug up old news or has this just been released now?

Ok, checked link and it's recent. If it was found in 1997 why are they telling us now? :S

[warezkid3]

Last updated at 00:20am on 6th February 2008

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[Jordy]

I personally think this is an excellent way to dump rubbish, it's not ideal or perfect, but it's the best we have. So what if a few birds die, what do a few birds ever do for us? Besides in the UK it's unlikely we eat birds from the Pacific ocean.

If it's so difficult to discover then it can be hidden easily and won't bother anyone, it's like it's not there almost.

[Neversoft]

I personally think this is an excellent way to dump rubbish, it's not ideal or perfect, but it's the best we have. So what if a few birds die, what do a few birds ever do for us? Besides in the UK it's unlikely we eat birds from the Pacific ocean.

If it's so difficult to discover then it can be hidden easily and won't bother anyone, it's like it's not there almost.

I doubt it's difficult to discover, haha. It was discovered over a decade ago. It just can't been seen in satellite photographs.

They should blast rubbish into space, theres enough of that and it does no one any harm. Do you know how much things we use the ocean for? If we fill it up with rubbish that won't do any good.

[warezkid3]

Why do it in the sea, when you can do it in space?

I really think it should be in space, nothing can go wrong? unless it comes back, but it burn up anywayz.

And the sea?, we need fish, they are one of our man foods that we eat, contuine doing this, will raise sea level as well.

[Technologic]

Why do it in the sea, when you can do it in space?

I really think it should be in space, nothing can go wrong? unless it comes back, but it burn up anywayz.

And the sea?, we need fish, they are one of our man foods that we eat, contuine doing this, will raise sea level as well.

It would cost trillions and trillions of dollars to send all the world's rubbish into space. It just isn't economicallly viable.. plus if something go3s wrong.. burning rubbish distributed over a vast radius...

[-Xiangu-]

the rubbish would burn up in the atmosphere so it wouldn't get distributed

[Jordy]

the rubbish would burn up in the atmosphere so it wouldn't get distributed

He meant if it didn't even get out the atmosphere before something went wrong.

It isn't cheap or easy to send it up into space, however it would put an end to it easily.

[Alkaz]

oh my god.