The Cause of the Problems

https://thegeoscholar.wordpress.com/2017/07/28/henderson-island-paradise-lost-in-
plastic/
Henderson Island, a small, uninhabited island in the Pacific Ocean. An area of
about 37.3 square km. The nearest populated area is 193 km (120 mi)
northeast of Pitcairn Island. A Pacific island uninhabited and far removed from
humans. It is halfway between New Zealand and Chile. One of the last raised
atolls in the world unaffected by human contact.
Over 38 million pieces of plastic trash have been found on this island.
There have been reports of plastic trash in the oceans as the Great Pacific
garbage patch. It is estimated to be anywhere from 700,000 square km in
area to 15,000,000 square km in area.
Henderson Island is a mere 37.3 square km. The amount of plastic in the
Great Pacific garbage patch is estimated to be enough to cover Henderson
Island over 18,700 times.
2421S 12819W is the geographic coordinates of Henderson Island.
The South Pacific Gyre has played a big factor. Henderson Island is located
towards the centre of this Pacific gyre. In short, plastic garbage, which non-
biodegradable, is being carried through the lengths of the earth and
throughout the oceans via ocean currents, landing in even the most remote
places.
https://www.theverge.com/2017/5/16/15646800/henderson-island-pacific-ocean-
plastic-trash-pollution

The location of Henderson Island. Arrows indicate the direction of major oceanic currents and the
South Pacific gyre

The gyre is a large system of circulating ocean currents, which stirs up plastic debris
and dumps in on nearby island.
Plastic trash in the oceans is dangerous for animals like sea turtles, seabirds, and
seals, which can die from ingesting the plastic or getting entangled in it. Because
plastic is made to last, it lives on for decades, sometimes breaking down into minute
pieces.
Henderson Island, which is a UNESCO world heritage site, is particularly hit by the
plastic pollution because its located at the edge of the South Pacific gyre, an ocean
current that tends to pick up trash. Scientists found all sorts of plastic debris on the
island, from toy soldiers to the red motels from the Monopoly board game, according
to the AP. Overall, they estimated that the trash weighed around 17.6 tons.
The findings make it a bit easier to understand the impact our plastic pollution has on
the environment especially on remote islands like the one described in the study,
which have become reservoirs for the worlds waste.
https://www.dailysabah.com/environment/2017/05/16/18-tons-of-plastic-waste-
discovered-on-remote-henderson-island-in-pacific

.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/16/world/australia/henderson-island-plastic-debris-
south-pacific.html

The island, a British possession in the Pitcairn Island group between

Chile and French Polynesia, is far from any busy shipping lane. But it sits

at the western side of the South Pacific Gyre, a counter clockwise current

that collects floating debris from the shore of South America. When the

researchers could discern where an item on the beach had come from, it

was usually China, Japan or Chile.

The most common items they found were everyday consumer goods

that people use without a second thought, Dr. Lavers told the Australian

network.

It speaks to the fact that these items that we call disposable or

single-use are neither of those things, she said, and that items that were

constructed decades ago are still floating around there in the ocean today,

and for decades to come.ums Podcasts Store