trash islands
Ocean plastic accumulations
Trash islands are accumulations of floating debris—mostly plastic—that collect in ocean gyres where currents converge.
The most notorious is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, though similar formations exist in other oceans.
Despite the name, these aren't solid landmasses you could walk on but rather vast areas of dispersed plastic particles and larger debris suspended in the water column: Scientists estimate the trash island in the Pacific covers an area twice the size of Texas.
- garbageDiscarded waste material
- oceanMassive saltwater body
- plasticCapable of being molded
- plastic bagsFlexible synthetic film containers
- pollutionEnvironmental harm from waste
water pollution · debris · Pacific · gyre · ocean currents · floating · floating debris · waste · marine · marine life · microplastics · currents · bottles · styrofoam · nets · cleanup · vortex · accumulation
- ocean pollutionoil spills, plastic pollution, marine debris, plastic waste, toxic waste
- water pollutionsewage, industrial waste, contaminants, algal bloom, toxic waste
trash islandsmarine sanctuaries
Protected ocean conservation areas
protected waters · crystal-clear waters · conservation areas
trash islandsvolcanic islands
Land formed by underwater eruptions
coral atolls · barrier islands · archipelagos · geological formations · sandbars
trash islandscoral reefs
Calcium carbonate marine structures
marine reserves · marine sanctuaries · biodiversity hotspots · kelp forests · spawning grounds
trash, island, trashed, trashing, trashy, islands, islander, islanders, isles