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The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is acollection of marine debris in the NorthPacific Ocean. In this context, which of thefollowing ocean currents surround the patch?
  • a)
    Florida current, Antilles current, Canarycurrent and Azores current
  • b)
    North Pacific current, Subarctic current,Alaska current, California current
  • c)
    North Pacific current, Anadyr current,Bering current and Aleutian current
  • d)
    California current, North Equatorialcurrent, Kuroshio current and NorthPacific current
Correct answer is option 'D'. Can you explain this answer?
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The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is acollection of marine debris in the...
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch and Surrounding Ocean Currents

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a large collection of marine debris that is located in the North Pacific Ocean. It is an area where trash, primarily plastic, accumulates due to ocean currents and winds. In order to understand which ocean currents surround the patch, we need to examine the major currents in the North Pacific Ocean.

North Pacific Current
The North Pacific Current is a major ocean current that flows from east to west in the North Pacific Ocean. It is a warm current that originates near the coast of California and flows towards Japan.

California Current
The California Current is a cold ocean current that flows southward along the coast of California. It is a part of the larger North Pacific Gyre, which is a circular system of ocean currents in the North Pacific Ocean.

North Equatorial Current
The North Equatorial Current is a warm ocean current that flows westward near the equator in the Pacific Ocean. It is part of the larger Pacific Equatorial Current System.

Kuroshio Current
The Kuroshio Current is a warm ocean current that flows northward along the eastern coast of Taiwan and Japan. It is a part of the larger North Pacific Gyre.

Surrounding Ocean Currents
Based on the given options, the correct answer is option 'D', which includes the California current, North Equatorial current, Kuroshio current, and North Pacific current. These are the major ocean currents that surround the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

The California current flows southward along the coast of California, while the North Equatorial current flows westward near the equator. The Kuroshio current flows northward along the eastern coast of Taiwan and Japan. Finally, the North Pacific current flows from east to west in the North Pacific Ocean.

These ocean currents play a significant role in the accumulation of marine debris in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. The currents carry trash, primarily plastic, from coastal areas and deposit them in this region. Over time, the debris accumulates, leading to the formation of the garbage patch.

It is important to understand and address the issue of marine debris in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, as it poses significant threats to marine life and ecosystems. Efforts are being made to raise awareness, reduce plastic waste, and clean up the patch to mitigate its environmental impact.
Community Answer
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is acollection of marine debris in the...
  • The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a collection of marine debris in the North Pacific Ocean. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, also known as the Pacific trash vortex, spans waters from the West Coast of North America to Japan.
  • The patch is actually comprised of the Western Garbage Patch, located near Japan, and the Eastern Garbage Patch, located between the U.S. states of Hawaii and California.
  • The entire Great Pacific Garbage Patch is bounded by the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre. The area in the center of a gyre tends to be very calm and stable. The circular motion of the gyre draws debris into this stable center, where it becomes trapped.
  • The North Pacific Subtropical Gyre is formed by four currents rotating clockwise around an area of 20 million square kilometers (7.7 million square miles): the California current, the North Equatorial current, the Kuroshio current, and the North Pacific current. Hence option (d) is the correct answer.
  • The amount of debris in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch accumulates because much of it is not biodegradable. Many plastics, for instance, do not wear down; they simply break into tinier and tinier pieces.
  • These patches are almost entirely made up of tiny bits of plastic (and not floating whole plastic items), called microplastics. Microplastics cannot always be seen by the naked eye. Even satellite imagery does not show a giant patch of garbage.
  • The microplastics of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch can simply make the water look like a cloudy soup. This soup is intermixed with larger items, such as fishing gear and shoes.
  • Oceanographers and ecologists recently discovered that about 70% of marine debris actually sinks to the bottom of the ocean.
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The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is acollection of marine debris in the NorthPacific Ocean. In this context, which of thefollowing ocean currents surround the patch?a)Florida current, Antilles current, Canarycurrent and Azores currentb)North Pacific current, Subarctic current,Alaska current, California currentc)North Pacific current, Anadyr current,Bering current and Aleutian currentd)California current, North Equatorialcurrent, Kuroshio current and NorthPacific currentCorrect answer is option 'D'. Can you explain this answer?
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The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is acollection of marine debris in the NorthPacific Ocean. In this context, which of thefollowing ocean currents surround the patch?a)Florida current, Antilles current, Canarycurrent and Azores currentb)North Pacific current, Subarctic current,Alaska current, California currentc)North Pacific current, Anadyr current,Bering current and Aleutian currentd)California current, North Equatorialcurrent, Kuroshio current and NorthPacific currentCorrect answer is option 'D'. Can you explain this answer? for UPSC 2025 is part of UPSC preparation. The Question and answers have been prepared according to the UPSC exam syllabus. Information about The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is acollection of marine debris in the NorthPacific Ocean. In this context, which of thefollowing ocean currents surround the patch?a)Florida current, Antilles current, Canarycurrent and Azores currentb)North Pacific current, Subarctic current,Alaska current, California currentc)North Pacific current, Anadyr current,Bering current and Aleutian currentd)California current, North Equatorialcurrent, Kuroshio current and NorthPacific currentCorrect answer is option 'D'. Can you explain this answer? covers all topics & solutions for UPSC 2025 Exam. Find important definitions, questions, meanings, examples, exercises and tests below for The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is acollection of marine debris in the NorthPacific Ocean. In this context, which of thefollowing ocean currents surround the patch?a)Florida current, Antilles current, Canarycurrent and Azores currentb)North Pacific current, Subarctic current,Alaska current, California currentc)North Pacific current, Anadyr current,Bering current and Aleutian currentd)California current, North Equatorialcurrent, Kuroshio current and NorthPacific currentCorrect answer is option 'D'. Can you explain this answer?.
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