• backalleycoyote@lemmy.today
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    11 hours ago

    Isn’t the garbage island like the size of at least three Polands these days? At some point it’s going to accumulate enough organic debris to develop its own topsoil and eventually ecosystem.

    • Kefla [she/her, they/them]@hexbear.net
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      4 hours ago

      As far as I’m aware, the “garbage island” is really more like a really super fucking polluted region where there’s tons of garbage, not like a specific amalgam of trash that actually stays dry on top or anything

    • apex32@lemmy.world
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      11 hours ago

      It’s not really an island though. There’s just more garbage there than elsewhere.

      Despite the common public perception of the patch existing as giant islands of floating garbage, its low density (4 particles per cubic metre (3.1/yd3)) prevents detection by satellite imagery, or even by casual boaters or divers in the area.

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Pacific_Garbage_Patch