Understanding the Great Pacific Garbage Patch

What is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch often mistaken for?

• A deep ocean trench

• A large continent

• A floating island of trash

• A group of small islands

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NGSS.MS-PS1-3

Why can't the Great Pacific Garbage Patch be seen as a giant pile of trash?

• It's biodegradable

• It's too far from any land

• It consists mainly of microplastics

• It's underwater

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NGSS.MS-PS1-3

What metaphor do researchers use to describe the Great Pacific Garbage Patch?

• Plastic soup

• Plastic desert

• Plastic island

• Plastic jungle

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NGSS.MS-PS1-3

Why is it difficult to clean up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch?

• It's protected by international law

• The plastic is too large to remove

• It's located in very deep waters

• The plastic is dispersed over a large area

How does most plastic end up in the ocean?

• Airborne from cities

• Dumped directly by ships

• Transported through river systems

• Thrown in by coastal tourists

What is a common source of the plastic found in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch?

• Plastic bottles

• Fishing gear

• Plastic bags

• Food packaging

Why isn't burning plastic in volcanoes a viable solution for trash disposal?

• It would release harmful gases and chemicals

• It's too expensive

• Plastic is not flammable

• Volcanoes are not hot enough

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS1-3

NGSS.MS-ESS3-3

NGSS.MS-ESS3-4

What is the estimated density of plastic in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch?

• 10 pieces per square kilometer

• 100 pieces per square kilometer

• 1 piece per square kilometer

• 1 million pieces per square kilometer

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS1-3

What can be done slow down the plastics getting into the ocean?

• Reduce single-use plastics, and support recycling and waste management policies.

• Properly dispose of waste.

• Participate in beach clean-ups.

• Support recycling and waste management policies.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS3-3