Science in the North Atlantic

North Atlantic Garbage Patchthe plastic island that isn't there

It is an area where plastic accumulates at the centre of the subtropical gyre, between 22° and 38° north, where currents converge and trap everything that floats. It is not an island: the plastic is broken down into fragments a few millimetres across, scattered through the water and invisible from satellites. Fish, birds and turtles mistake them for food, while ghost nets and drifting objects are a danger to foils and rudders, as well as a trap for fish and marine mammals. Without action, the amount of floating plastic in the oceans grows by about 4% a year. The fleet crosses this belt as it heads south towards the trade winds.