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Giant garbage Island floating in Pacific
physorg.com — An enormous island of trash twice the size of Texas is floating in the Pacific Ocean somewhere between San Francisco and Hawaii.
1carmen- 1108 diggs
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- prcrimm1, on 10/30/2007, -12/+107A giant garbage Island? There since 1950? We are just now hearing about it! From the denizens of San Fran no less! I think I smell a fragrant pile.
- timpkmn89, on 10/23/2007, -5/+64I guess Google Earth just filled in all the ocean parts with Photoshop
- Automatt, on 10/23/2007, -5/+14I wish they could get better at displaying 2/3 of the world's surface but then again it's not called Google Ocean
- scrimaxinc, on 10/23/2007, -0/+13Well it isn't called Google Land either, brothaman. I expect more from Google. Wouldn't it be sweet to see pods of 20-30 Orcas swimming off the coast of Alaska?
- natedouglas, on 10/25/2007, -0/+9Maybe in mid seal-snack? That'd pwn.
- themastersb, on 10/23/2007, -0/+2You'd thing they'd go and make Google ocean before making Google Sky
- scrimaxinc, on 10/23/2007, -0/+13Well it isn't called Google Land either, brothaman. I expect more from Google. Wouldn't it be sweet to see pods of 20-30 Orcas swimming off the coast of Alaska?
- jus1haz2, on 10/25/2007, -0/+14Its going to be the new home of the PirateBay
- Automatt, on 10/23/2007, -5/+14I wish they could get better at displaying 2/3 of the world's surface but then again it's not called Google Ocean
- Legato, on 10/23/2007, -7/+15insert futurama quote/reference here
- jspegele, on 10/25/2007, -4/+2Couldn't think of one, huh? That's ok, it'll come to you.
- cmearns, on 10/24/2007, -5/+65Wow. Twice the size of Texas? That means that I could walk 2/3 of the way to Hawaii from San Francisco.
"Floating somewhere". Sheesh. If you're going to lie, at least make it plausible.- kodex, on 10/23/2007, -4/+0double post
- kodex, on 10/24/2007, -2/+8Not to mention that something that large would weigh way more than 3.5 million tons.
- overtoke, on 10/23/2007, -1/+4http://goalgreen.com/2007/06/25/plastic-the-gift-t ...
read it- AceLy, on 10/23/2007, -0/+3Africa? Wow.
- Acolyte357, on 10/23/2007, -1/+1And where is your proof? because no one (I hope) is going to believe that there is a trash vortex the size of a content without some proof.
- kryptonite514, on 10/23/2007, -2/+1Damn, some people will believe anything. Contrasting areas of the ocean can be found all over the globe during seasonal changes and other climate phenomenon. This is nothing more than rich water with a larger amount of growth in it. Stupidity like this sickens me. The real question is whether that site is lieing or just plain stupid.
- VitriolAndAngst, on 10/23/2007, -3/+5What -- are you saying it isn't true? It would be pretty easy to verify.
I'm thinking that this is what is called the "sargasso sea" -- it's a dead spot in the middle of the Pacific where debris just piles up because there are no currents to take it anywhere else. Interesting that it is 80% plastic now.- Valadian, on 10/23/2007, -1/+9The Sargasso Sea is in the Atlantic Ocean dumbass.
- overtoke, on 10/23/2007, -1/+2"There are about 5 gyres of this type in the world’s oceans, ranging from the size of Texas to the size of Africa."
- Acolyte357, on 10/23/2007, -0/+1Look just give us a pic, come on I know someone has to be studying these man made islands. that is if it is true
- Valadian, on 10/23/2007, -1/+9The Sargasso Sea is in the Atlantic Ocean dumbass.
- Wrathernaut, on 10/23/2007, -1/+2In a completely non-related story, oceanfront property availability is expected to skyrocket.
- theuniversal, on 10/23/2007, -1/+6The fragrant pile isn't from the "denizens of San Fran". It's from the piece of trash website called physorg.com. The original article in the chronicle calls it "a toxic STEW of trash". The point is that there's an enormous amount of garbage has collected in the sea in that area. Doesn't sound too crazy when you think about how much garbage we produce in a day and that people have been dumping garbage in the sea since forever:
Original article:http: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2 ...
PDF on plastic debris in the ocean: http://www.algalita.org/pdf/plastic-in-the-environ ...
A "STEW" is very different from the idiotic description used by physorg: "ISLAND of trash". People digging up the first comment should try reading the original article before calling it nonsense.- toefinder, on 02/16/2008, -0/+1Thank you, theuniversal, for your intelligent comment. No, there is no island of plastic debris...but that misses the point. There is a significant environmental mess here that is disrupting vast areas of the world's oceans...Plastic has only been around for 60 years or so in significant quantities. This environmental disaster is only in it's infancy. Denial is not going to do any good. The reality of the mess is far more impressive than the stories about it. It doesn't matter whether any one believes it or not. It is real . It is there, and it is not going to go away. And it will, in time, impact the lives of every one on this website.
- phuzle, on 10/25/2007, -1/+1The words used to make this story are questionable, and they don't explain it very well, so I'll give it a shot. There is an area of ocean currents that move in a big circle, and the circle is twice the size of texas. Lots of trash from anywhere in the ocean will be pushed by other currents into the circular current, and theres really not much trash getting out of the circular current. So, trash from all over gets pulled in, and just keeps moving around and around. The size of the "trash island" will always be twice the size of texas, it won't get bigger - but it will get more and more dense until you can't sail a boat through it. Right now if you were in it, you would see trash floating all around you but you could still sail through it. Regardless of whether it meets the definition of an "island" or if there are good pictures, its still real.
- timpkmn89, on 10/23/2007, -5/+64I guess Google Earth just filled in all the ocean parts with Photoshop
- BrettFromTibet, on 10/28/2007, -3/+117where is it? is this for real? I want pics!!!
- pandlcg, on 10/23/2007, -0/+10Wikipedia has some info on why it accumulates, but no pics
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Pacific_Gyre- flygirl62, on 10/23/2007, -1/+3I followed that link and it led me to this article which has more details, but still no pix.
http://www.bestlifeonline.com/cms/publish/travel-l ...
I suspect that most of it is "floating" just at or below the surface, so it may not be VERY visible from an altitude, but that's just a guess.
- flygirl62, on 10/23/2007, -1/+3I followed that link and it led me to this article which has more details, but still no pix.
- glucoseboy, on 10/23/2007, -1/+4I for one believe it exists. However, where are the pics? If Can't somebody locate it on google maps?
- kettlehead, on 10/23/2007, -0/+3Nope. Their imagery is of staggeringly low resolution in the oceans.
- Tiggums, on 10/29/2007, -1/+11twice the size of texas though, we're not trying to find something tiny here, I'm pretty sure we'd notice something... I say the "pics or it didn't happen" applies here, that and rule 34...
- llamaguy132, on 10/23/2007, -0/+3@Tiggums:
rule 34 always applies
- kettlehead, on 10/23/2007, -0/+3Nope. Their imagery is of staggeringly low resolution in the oceans.
- allahuakbar, on 10/25/2007, -2/+17I for one welcome our new trash heap overlords.
- snyperr2s, on 10/23/2007, -2/+22pics or it didnt happen
- overtoke, on 10/23/2007, -1/+6for the 'pix or it didnt happen' crew
Q.[The Garbage Patch] is also considered the largest garbage dump in the world. I’ve tried looking around online, can you see the garbage patch from satellite images?
No. See, most of this garbage is salt-shaker stuff, the breakdown of plastic products. When we trawl a net, we get a kaleidoscope of different colored little plastic particles, mostly whites and blues. We think the reds are taken by birds and fish because they look like shrimp. And inside the garbage patch we’ve found over six times as much plastic as plankton. While outside it’s over three times as much plastic as plankton. So if you’re a fish trying to choose whether something is food or not, you can easily be confused. Gelatinous plankton feeders are heavily impacted by this. Then they’re eaten by fish, birds and turtles and so it accumulates up the food chain. And [the plastic particles are not] just indigestible, they are also a sponge for toxics, so it’s like poison pills being ingested.
http://www.satyamag.com/apr07/moore.html
- overtoke, on 10/23/2007, -1/+6for the 'pix or it didnt happen' crew
- Pile, on 10/23/2007, -0/+14http://www.bestlifeonline.com/cms/publish/travel-l ...
Here's a cool animated map of the vortex:
http://oceans.greenpeace.org/en/the-expedition/new ... - Wacer, on 10/23/2007, -1/+2I have seen pictures of it on the Internet but I don't have a link. I think the size is being exaggerated a little though,
- calmlikeabomb1, on 10/23/2007, -0/+8If it is twice the size of texas, them you should see it on google earth or maps, or it doesnt exist. You can certainly see texas.
- overtoke, on 10/23/2007, -0/+3for the 'pix or it didnt happen' crew
Q.[The Garbage Patch] is also considered the largest garbage dump in the world. I’ve tried looking around online, can you see the garbage patch from satellite images?
No. See, most of this garbage is salt-shaker stuff, the breakdown of plastic products. When we trawl a net, we get a kaleidoscope of different colored little plastic particles, mostly whites and blues. We think the reds are taken by birds and fish because they look like shrimp. And inside the garbage patch we’ve found over six times as much plastic as plankton. While outside it’s over three times as much plastic as plankton. So if you’re a fish trying to choose whether something is food or not, you can easily be confused. Gelatinous plankton feeders are heavily impacted by this. Then they’re eaten by fish, birds and turtles and so it accumulates up the food chain. And [the plastic particles are not] just indigestible, they are also a sponge for toxics, so it’s like poison pills being ingested.
http://www.satyamag.com/apr07/moore.html
(sorry for spamming, but people keep posting the same question instead of DIGGING UP the first instance of the question (as intended) this ***** would work much better that way (people QQ about DUPE DUPE, when the same story is submitted twice for a reason - it clutters the site, just like it clutters the comments)
- overtoke, on 10/23/2007, -0/+3for the 'pix or it didnt happen' crew
- weeeezzll, on 10/22/2007, -0/+2New land!? If no one has already claimed it then i official got dibs on it!! I'm gonna be rich!!!!
- jspegele, on 10/23/2007, -0/+1Shotgun Porn Island!
- dammerung, on 10/23/2007, -0/+5Here's a good documentary about researchers studying this area. It will definitely give everyone a better idea of the "garbage island" phenomenon in the north Pacific.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3892310789 ... - VitriolAndAngst, on 10/23/2007, -0/+5http://images.google.com/images?client=safari&rls= ...
- suckrpnch, on 10/25/2007, -0/+1hey. thanks for that wad of waste-my-time. i think we know how to use google.
- nskinn, on 10/23/2007, -0/+2CBS evening news video about it
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/01/06/eveningn ... - Pssdoff, on 10/23/2007, -0/+1Here's an article:
http://www.mindfully.org/Plastic/Ocean/Trashing-Oc ...
- pandlcg, on 10/23/2007, -0/+10Wikipedia has some info on why it accumulates, but no pics
- srodolff, on 10/25/2007, -13/+32Just blame global warming.
- brownhound, on 10/23/2007, -11/+19no - it's clearly cheney & bush's fault. we didn't have garbage before they took office.
- Urusai, on 10/23/2007, -7/+18Now we have garbage IN office.
- Tiggums, on 10/23/2007, -2/+8I blame Canada...
- ubergeek09, on 10/23/2007, -2/+2I blame the USSR, wait... nevermind..
- DGHtruenorth, on 04/17/2008, -0/+1You can't blame Canada, we don't have plastics technologies yet.
- nonperson, on 10/23/2007, -0/+3here a link to the blog of some guys that recently sailed through the gyre. There's pics and everything http://orvalguita.blogspot.com/
- BearinG, on 10/30/2007, -0/+1Nah.. its those damn video games...
- brownhound, on 10/23/2007, -11/+19no - it's clearly cheney & bush's fault. we didn't have garbage before they took office.
- jmkiii, on 10/23/2007, -2/+25Let me know when we can drive to China. I wonder if we will still have oil by then.
- sjbdallas, on 10/23/2007, -2/+65Hmmm, if it's that big i guess there should be plenty of pictures? Maybe some video of some folks walking across it?
- hawkspur, on 10/23/2007, -2/+1It's not an island, its on the bottom of the ocean. The article is stupid.
- Gustomucho, on 10/23/2007, -3/+11The word recycling comes to mind.
- overtoke, on 10/22/2007, -0/+1that's not the main problem, the problem is that our waste makes it to our rivers and oceans in the first place
- pedrovoltaire, on 11/01/2007, -4/+270Australia is not garbage!
- thinman1189, on 10/24/2007, -29/+1Your knowledge of geography is garbage. And besides, Australia is garbage.
- MrSlumberjack, on 10/24/2007, -5/+2Once Australia's drought intensifies and turns it into the largest desert/deserted island in the world, it will be garbage. Right now its compost.
- repete, on 10/24/2007, -4/+0Nice place. Shame about the Australians...;-)
- angryredplanet, on 10/24/2007, -0/+2I like most of the Australian's I know... and I live in Australia.
Oh wait, you must be from New Zealand.- repete, on 10/24/2007, -0/+0;-)
- angryredplanet, on 10/24/2007, -0/+2I like most of the Australian's I know... and I live in Australia.
- repete, on 10/24/2007, -4/+0Nice place. Shame about the Australians...;-)
- jhshukla, on 10/24/2007, -1/+4it's not floating either.
- SocialPoison, on 10/24/2007, -0/+8Winner!
- widgetmaker, on 10/23/2007, -1/+3Best comment of the day.
- Slump, on 10/23/2007, -3/+44Here's a documentary video about it:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3892310789 ...- katanabane, on 10/23/2007, -3/+1And the food they buy is in plastic bags, great!
- franznpdx, on 10/22/2007, -0/+1"Biotic mixing" sounds kinda kinky.
- apoc06, on 10/23/2007, -0/+1...was someone saying something about rule 34 earlier?
- wilhel1812, on 10/22/2007, -0/+3says nothing about an island...
- overtoke, on 10/23/2007, -1/+1it is an that contains a large portion of plastic. there is more plastic than organic, including plankton. you can't walk on it.
ever heard the term 'island of life' sometimes people use figures of speech
- overtoke, on 10/23/2007, -1/+1it is an that contains a large portion of plastic. there is more plastic than organic, including plankton. you can't walk on it.
- pshelston, on 10/24/2007, -8/+72Shouldn't we be able to see this on Google Maps/Earth?
- TheJokerV, on 10/28/2007, -2/+16 No because google doesn't waste their time and resources analyzing the oceans. They just fill in the ocean areas with blue on google earth.
- weeeezzll, on 10/28/2007, -0/+6Google doesn't analyze the land either, they just buy existing satellite imagery...
(well i guess they have that street level thing they are doing.)
- weeeezzll, on 10/28/2007, -0/+6Google doesn't analyze the land either, they just buy existing satellite imagery...
- TheJokerV, on 10/28/2007, -2/+16 No because google doesn't waste their time and resources analyzing the oceans. They just fill in the ocean areas with blue on google earth.
- WiseWeasel, on 10/23/2007, -9/+27Here are some references after a brief google search for "great pacific garbage patch":
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/campaigns/ ...
http://www.mindfully.org/Plastic/Ocean/Pacific-Gar ...
http://science.howstuffworks.com/great-pacific-gar ...
Looks like "island" might be a bit of a stretch... vast area with high concentration of floating junk would be a more appropriate description...- petemcfraser, on 10/23/2007, -4/+10Looks like your "references" might be a bit of a stretch. Truncated URLs would be a more appropriate description.
- Ibox, on 10/23/2007, -2/+4yeah man two of your "references" don't work and the other has nothing to do with any pacific garbage patch...
- WiseWeasel, on 10/23/2007, -0/+14Woops, fixed links:
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/campaigns/ ...
http://www.mindfully.org/Plastic/Ocean/Pacific-Gar ...
http://science.howstuffworks.com/great-pacific-gar ...
Damn you, broken Digg comments!- Ibox, on 10/23/2007, -0/+1K better :) that second one is a pretty good read... I don't understand why people have to embelish the truth (like the title of this article), it just looses all credibility.
- merreborn, on 10/23/2007, -0/+8This google video is a great reference:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3892310789 ...
Start at the 5 minute mark. Each piece of garbage in this "island" is several feet from the next. Definitely a mess, but it's really not an island at all. The polution would have to be hundreds, if not thousands of times as dense to really qualify as an island.
Also: I'm shocked to discover that digg breaks long links every time you edit a comment. That's ***** horrible. For a usability nightmare like that to slip into the production version of a site this popular...
Somebody at revision 3 oughta be really ***** embarrassed right now.- Viral, on 10/22/2007, -0/+1Revision3 is a separate company. Someone at _DIGG_ ought to be really ***** embarrassed.
- xister, on 10/23/2007, -0/+1This has been happening almost since the new comment system was implemented... Where have you guys been?
- Viral, on 10/22/2007, -0/+1Revision3 is a separate company. Someone at _DIGG_ ought to be really ***** embarrassed.
- ubergeek09, on 10/23/2007, -6/+1A reference from Greenpeace? Do you think everything on the internet is reliable? Greenpeace is just a group of crazy fanatics.
- bremstrong, on 10/23/2007, -0/+18Where are the garbage powered robotic garbage eating boats when you need them?
- gn0stik, on 10/23/2007, -1/+2good idea.
- serebreal, on 10/23/2007, -2/+1Assuming this is all basically pure plastic, wouldn't there be some economic benefit to harvesting it and selling it once recycled?
- Pssdoff, on 10/23/2007, -0/+2Help us Mr. Fusion!
- gn0stik, on 10/23/2007, -1/+2good idea.
- galeninjapan, on 10/25/2007, -14/+63Oh please, does the author even know how big texas is? Texas is ***** huge for an island. There is no way a pile of trsh the size of texas exists in the ocean without us knowing it.
BTW, it took me over a day to get across the state.- Davekcon, on 10/23/2007, -2/+15good story
- jguy584, on 10/23/2007, -1/+9Its a vortex that is a size of two texas's, its not an island, it is just a very big area with an extremely high garbage content. The area looks like just water, but when you mearsure out the ratio of sea life to garbage its something like 10 parts garbage to 1 part life.
- p0ss, on 10/23/2007, -0/+3a gigantic garbage vortex is still pretty insane.
- overtoke, on 10/23/2007, -6/+5Do some research before posting, *****.
- Bestor, on 10/23/2007, -5/+4"BTW, it took me over a day to get across the state."
Yeah, I've had cars like that too. - VitriolAndAngst, on 10/23/2007, -1/+5It took me 12 hours to go from Dallas Texas to Atlanta Georgia. I don't think I stopped once.
I'm guessing you didn't go straight.
3.8 Billion tons seems a little light for Texas -- most of this Gyre is probably water.
"There is no way a pile of trsh the size of texas exists in the ocean without us knowing it." Yeah, that seems to be the opinion of most people these days -- they think it isn't possible they don't know something. "It didn't happen, or everyone would know." That isn't really true in my experience -- most of what everyone knows is wrong. Most of your strongest held beliefs are wrong.- 0xDEFEC8, on 10/23/2007, -0/+0*Does not apply to VitriolAndAngst beliefs.
- xister, on 10/23/2007, -0/+1B-b-b-but....Is this not the essence of truthiness?
- kcasper, on 10/23/2007, -0/+2It is also called the North Pacific Gyre http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Pacific_Gyre
- hockeypaul, on 10/23/2007, -0/+0Its shorter from Beaumont to Chicago, than it is from beaumont tx to el paso tx.
Texas is too darn big. period.- wpennb, on 10/23/2007, -0/+0Australia has cattle ranches the size of Texas
- NikhilPK, on 10/22/2007, -0/+7You'd think the article would at least be a whole page considering the subtitle
- jrattner1, on 10/23/2007, -4/+11This story can't be true, where are the pictures?
- JRL40K, on 10/23/2007, -2/+53Maybe we should launch it into space and then make a porno movie about it.
- whiskeymb, on 10/23/2007, -2/+13I guess few people get the Futurama reference....
- JRL40K, on 10/22/2007, -2/+0I know, it's sad
- meatmcguffin, on 10/23/2007, -0/+13With gusto?
- DCJoeDogaswell, on 10/22/2007, -1/+1*****, you beat me to it.
- kilahri, on 10/23/2007, -1/+1in space, no one can hear you scream... in pleasure.
- dukeochutney, on 10/23/2007, -0/+1finally someone made the futurama joke i was scrolling down hoping i would see it
- whiskeymb, on 10/23/2007, -2/+13I guess few people get the Futurama reference....
- Jsmuli2, on 10/23/2007, -2/+39It's like a today version of that Futurama Episode....
In fact, we can learn from that episode....if only we create another floating ball of garbage we could make it collide with the existing one thus bouncing it away from America!!!- Surfrock66, on 10/23/2007, -0/+5But with all the recycling today, where are we going to get another giant ball of garbage???
- sp1keNARF, on 10/23/2007, -5/+6where's the proof of this?
- phantoms5000, on 10/23/2007, -2/+28We should take the Futurama approach, and just launch it into space.
- eratix, on 10/23/2007, -8/+26Pictures or it didn't happen.
- seandoof, on 10/23/2007, -2/+7When are people going to learn the proper way to indicate their disbelief in a claim that is not supported by proper documentation in the form of photographic evidence?
PICS OR IT DIDN'T HAPPEN. - VitriolAndAngst, on 10/23/2007, -2/+2Jeez -- quit whining you babies.
I just googled; "Pacific Gyre trash"
Here is the link; http://images.google.com/images?client=safari&rls= ... - overtoke, on 10/23/2007, -1/+1here is the pic http://goalgreen.files.wordpress.com/2007/06/gyre. ...
The image above is a photograph taken from space of a gyre off the coast of Japan. The green swirl is actually quite brown; it is the collection of some of humanity’s most indestructible rubbish - plastic. There are about 5 gyres of this type in the world’s oceans, ranging from the size of Texas to the size of Africa.
http://goalgreen.com/2007/06/25/plastic-the-gift-t ...
the eastern gyre, one of the areas of interest. that is a swirl of plastic. yes, yes it really is. a soup of small plastic debris, stained and mixed with an algae slime.- NonLeftistDiggr, on 10/23/2007, -1/+1that doesn't prove anything. Those pictures are neat, but crap relative to what they are claimed to be. And there's no plastic gyre the size of Africa.....
THEY PLAYED ON OUR FEEEEEEEEAAAAARRRRS!!!!!! - Tiggums, on 10/23/2007, -0/+1Okay overtoke we get that you like this site, stop putting it on everyone's comments, I'm sure they get your meaning with the several other times you posted the same thing.... And I think that most people are just saying that if you are going to talk about something, do it accurately, don't say it's twice the size of Texas, because if it were, we'd be able to see it from space very easily... it might cover an area twice the size of Texas, but it's not one big island of trash like the article said... It's a lie to say it the way they did....
- toefinder, on 02/16/2008, -0/+1You can't see it from space it is difficult to see it from a ship when you are sailing in the middle of it. It is floating on the surface of the water mostly submerged and it is mostly broken into sand sized pieces but if you take a glass jar and scoop up the water you will easily see it. This is no joke and it is no small matter. It is disrupting the food chain in the ocean. It will make a huge difference in the quality of life on earth if it is not dealt with.
- NonLeftistDiggr, on 10/23/2007, -1/+1that doesn't prove anything. Those pictures are neat, but crap relative to what they are claimed to be. And there's no plastic gyre the size of Africa.....
- seandoof, on 10/23/2007, -2/+7When are people going to learn the proper way to indicate their disbelief in a claim that is not supported by proper documentation in the form of photographic evidence?
- codered1322, on 10/23/2007, -9/+19Manbearpig!
- bossm4n, on 10/23/2007, -9/+16How in the hell did this floating pile make it to the front page? Buried!
- Tonohono, on 10/23/2007, -0/+5More like sunk.
- DCJoeDogaswell, on 10/23/2007, -0/+3I think the point it that it can't be buried.
- overtoke, on 10/23/2007, -0/+1here is the pic http://goalgreen.files.wordpress.com/2007/06/gyre. ...
http://goalgreen.com/2007/06/25/plastic-the-gift-t ...
- waicool, on 10/23/2007, -6/+8pics or it didn't happen!!!
- tylerwest70, on 10/23/2007, -6/+7I smell BS. Without pictures I won't believe it is anywhere near that large.
- BlackAle, on 10/23/2007, -3/+2Yeah a guess unless it appears on Fox News, it can't possibly be true!
- FishHammer, on 10/22/2007, -0/+1well if they had pictures of it on fox news i probably WOULD believe it
- NonLeftistDiggr, on 10/23/2007, -0/+1or as long as it appears in the SF Gate it MUST be true!!
- on9star, on 10/24/2007, -2/+47Is the Pirate Bay still looking for an island?
- xero69, on 10/23/2007, -3/+47Oscar the grouch says: "Get the f*ck off my island!"
- URnotheonly1, on 10/23/2007, -11/+9Doesn't matter, this ***** will lead to some kind of new law. They don't need pictures, they will just repeat it over & over again that it is there.
- arghargh, on 10/23/2007, -6/+4Islands float?
- ElliotShoe, on 10/23/2007, -1/+8yeah some do
- brownhound, on 10/23/2007, -3/+4sounds like an opportunity for an entrepreneur. one man's floating island of trash is another man's floating island of treasure.
(btw, i heard about this quite awhile ago - this is NEWS on digg?) - Lochie, on 10/23/2007, -1/+26New York City: The year 2000. The most wasteful society in the history of the galaxy and it was running out of places to empty its never-ending output of garbage. The landfills were full. New Jersey was full.
- DCJoeDogaswell, on 10/22/2007, -0/+2I'll talk to my ties with the mafia and see if I can get us a rocket to use.
- NonLeftistDiggr, on 10/23/2007, -0/+1Squre mile in Nebraska could store our trash for a milineum.
- Lionhart, on 10/23/2007, -4/+14Couldn't we pinpoint its exact location using a Smelloscope?
PLEASE get the reference- santaliqueur, on 10/23/2007, -2/+10PLEASE don't ruin your reference with "please get this reference". Also, you're about the 5th person to reference Futurama so far.
- Ozzsanity, on 10/23/2007, -1/+16I helped make that island. During my service in the US Navy we would throw the trash from the ship overboard. It was bagged and we would just poke holes in the bags and throw them overboard
- Urusai, on 10/23/2007, -0/+6When I was in, you had to separate the non-biodegradable junk, and we tossed the biodegradable junk in huge paper bags over the side and brought the rest into port.
- angryredplanet, on 10/23/2007, -0/+1You're a true hero.
- subterfuge, on 10/23/2007, -1/+16if it was really an island twice the size of texas, it should be easily visible from space
- cmearns, on 10/23/2007, -2/+8Nope. Its all plastic. Its clear. You'll never find it.
This story is such bull.
- cmearns, on 10/23/2007, -2/+8Nope. Its all plastic. Its clear. You'll never find it.
- xero69, on 10/23/2007, -1/+6Short article, so here it is:
Chris Parry with the California Coastal Commission in San Francisco said the so-called Great Pacific Garbage Patch, has been growing a brisk rate since the 1950s, The San Francisco Chronicle reported Friday. The trash stew is 80 percent plastic and weighs more than 3.5 million tons. "At this point, cleaning it up isn't an option," Parry said. "It's just going to get bigger as our reliance on plastics continues." Parry said using canvas bags to cart groceries instead of using plastic bags is a good first step to reducing reliance on plastics, the newspaper said. - orxor, on 10/23/2007, -3/+3is it on google earth?
- jasonaltenburg, on 10/23/2007, -5/+0Pics? Mirror? The site is suffering. 2 no connects before I got through.
- swatward, on 10/23/2007, -5/+18I'm calling shenanigans. If it's 2x the size of Texas, I'm sure you could see it.
- overtoke, on 10/23/2007, -0/+3here is the pic http://goalgreen.files.wordpress.com/2007/06/gyre. ...
http://goalgreen.com/2007/06/25/plastic-the-gift-t ...- NonLeftistDiggr, on 10/23/2007, -2/+1What a blatant scare tactic, that is not what it says it is whatsoever, any one with a brain can call BS on that one.... sorry, I guess I'm not willing to join the sheep on this one.
- overtoke, on 10/23/2007, -0/+3here is the pic http://goalgreen.files.wordpress.com/2007/06/gyre. ...
- visje, on 10/23/2007, -3/+3why are is there no big ball of garbage flying in space?
- sethosayher, on 10/23/2007, -2/+3I got dibs!
- AntiScurvyLg, on 10/22/2007, -0/+1and nobody gets THIS reference. That's the damn shame.
- jstepno, on 10/23/2007, -6/+12I think we have a new place to deport those 30 million illegal aleins.
- stalzdiggity, on 10/23/2007, -7/+4i think we have a new place for you and your comments
- allahuakbar, on 10/23/2007, -1/+3jstepno for congress!
- spyguy33, on 10/22/2007, -1/+0"I think we have a new place to deport those 30 million illegal aleins." I think that they prefer to be called illegal *aliens*. Anyways, it's more likely that there is close to 40 million. Which this wouldn't be a big deal if they came legally, since they tend to be harder workers then some Americans. Worst of all, they broke the law from day one so that other's can take advantage of them. If they would have waited to get into the country, they would have been a lot better off.
- FredFredrickson, on 10/22/2007, -0/+130 million? So a full 1% of the US population is illegal now? 1 out of every 100 people is an illegal alien? Right.
- shivaman, on 10/23/2007, -5/+7For those of you that say it doesn't exist without pics read the greepeace site. Their ship is cruising through it!
- Ibox, on 10/23/2007, -2/+10I wouldn't go to the greenpeace site if they had porn there.
- VitriolAndAngst, on 10/23/2007, -2/+3You must have standards of ignorance to uphold -- I commend you!
- dan222555, on 10/23/2007, -0/+11How do you cruise through an island on a boat?
- VitriolAndAngst, on 10/23/2007, -1/+3You folks are proving there is no cure for stupid.
I'd say something warm and welcoming, to entice people to perhaps take a peak at a more environmentally friendly attitude -- but I don't think it would work. There is no cogent argument to get through this -- you are just going to have to take your motor boat and run right into it one day.- dan222555, on 10/23/2007, -1/+2If it's an island twice the size of Texas I'd hope you'd spot it long before you run into it.
This giant island must make a major impact on shipping lanes...but you never seem to hear about it, hmmm....- graphak, on 10/23/2007, -0/+1Thats because its not an island, the poster mislabled it. Its more of a huge whirlpool with trash floating everywhere you look. It is not dense enough that you can stand on it or have any problem boating through it, unless you get some nets tangled in your motor.
- dan222555, on 10/23/2007, -1/+2If it's an island twice the size of Texas I'd hope you'd spot it long before you run into it.
- ubergeek09, on 10/23/2007, -1/+5Since when has greenpeace been a trusted source? They are a bunch of environmental fanatics, that would put the environment above human life (which they have done before..). Sure you should treat the environment with respect but that by no means should you act like some kind of crazy fanatic.
- Ibox, on 10/23/2007, -2/+10I wouldn't go to the greenpeace site if they had porn there.
- DanMowchan, on 10/23/2007, -9/+7I wanna see pictures, if its been there since 1950, it would be on Google Earth. No way.
- vofuse, on 10/23/2007, -5/+11There's also an island like that on the other side of Hawaii. It's called Australia.
- BadMonkeh, on 10/23/2007, -4/+1And here i was thinking that this was just another state of America.
Oh and btw Australia is a continent, not an island.- imsteve22, on 10/22/2007, -0/+1how do YOU define islands?
- BadMonkeh, on 10/24/2007, -0/+1From dictionary.com:
con·ti·nent
–noun
1. one of the main landmasses of the globe, usually reckoned as seven in number (Europe, Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Australia, and Antarctica).
is·land
–noun
1. a tract of land completely surrounded by water, and not large enough to be called a continent.
:)
- BadMonkeh, on 10/24/2007, -0/+1From dictionary.com:
- imsteve22, on 10/22/2007, -0/+1how do YOU define islands?
- Abudiwa, on 10/22/2007, -0/+1island continent?
- BadMonkeh, on 10/23/2007, -4/+1And here i was thinking that this was just another state of America.
- jze17, on 10/23/2007, -0/+2Where's that guy, that invented a 'microwave' that turns plastics back into oil, when you need him.
- jockser, on 10/23/2007, -4/+4France is not an island!
- AntiScurvyLg, on 10/23/2007, -0/+3texas is bigger than france.
this imaginary island that nobody has any proof of existence of is two times as large as texas.
this island is larger than france, therefore, this island is not france.
- AntiScurvyLg, on 10/23/2007, -0/+3texas is bigger than france.
- thawkes, on 10/23/2007, -7/+6http://www.greenpeace.org/international/campaigns/ ...
- Dichotomic, on 10/23/2007, -3/+6There is nothing on that page to prove anything to me... and I can't see why it was worth linking.
- tylerwest70, on 10/23/2007, -3/+1Agreed, that picture they have hosted is retarded. You would think that they would want to show the size of this thing. Hell they could have put some trash in a bucket and taken that picture.
- Dichotomic, on 10/23/2007, -3/+6There is nothing on that page to prove anything to me... and I can't see why it was worth linking.
- SniperZero, on 10/23/2007, -5/+5Dude... thepiratebay can set up there HQ here xD
- BridgeBurner, on 10/23/2007, -2/+7"At this point, cleaning it up isn't an option,"
That's a great attitude that guy has... - pyrewyrm, on 10/23/2007, -8/+20What a load of crap. I'm a merchant mariner and we have several publications devoted toward hazards at sea. Never in my life have I EVER seen a notice about a floating garabage pile nor does any of my resources even indicate the presence of such an object... Something the size of Texas? And a ship hasn't hit it yet? BS.
- overtoke, on 10/23/2007, -9/+5i feel sorry for people like you. it's people like you that allow things like this happen in the first place. your ignorance is disgusting.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/oceans/la-me-oce ... check the multimedia- tylerwest70, on 10/23/2007, -0/+5Those pictures are in some harbor somewhere. Where are the pictures of this Texas sized garbage island?
You are just as much to blame as everyone else. Do you use plastic? Of course you do, so you are at fault as well. Pot calling the kettle black- overtoke, on 10/23/2007, -1/+1where did i say i was innocent? there is an area (two of them) in the pacific which collect garbage, mostly plastic. the areas are twice the size of texas, and are completely polluted with plastic. the area is gigantic,and the number of people the people most involved and concerned with these problems don't have the resources to survey and document the problem in the way certain uninformed assholes seem to require as 'proof'
look what i found on google, *****
It’s also considered the largest garbage dump in the world. I’ve tried looking around online, can you see the garbage patch from satellite images?
No. See, most of this garbage is salt-shaker stuff, the breakdown of plastic products. When we trawl a net, we get a kaleidoscope of different colored little plastic particles, mostly whites and blues. We think the reds are taken by birds and fish because they look like shrimp. And inside the garbage patch we’ve found over six times as much plastic as plankton. While outside it’s over three times as much plastic as plankton. So if you’re a fish trying to choose whether something is food or not, you can easily be confused. Gelatinous plankton feeders are heavily impacted by this. Then they’re eaten by fish, birds and turtles and so it accumulates up the food chain. And [the plastic particles are not] just indigestible, they are also a sponge for toxics, so it’s like poison pills being ingested.
http://www.satyamag.com/apr07/moore.html- pyrewyrm, on 10/23/2007, -0/+0I agree... exaggerating a floating, semi-collected debris field as an island is a lie, pure and simple. I have seen debris fields in the ocean (though none like this "legendary" collection...) but these always occured in areas downwind and down-current from recent storms...
Never heard a single story about a massive debirs field in the middle of the ocean... Sargasso Sea? yes... massive kelp/seaweed/growth things? yep... seen 'em... Miles long debris fields of trash? Seen a mile or two after a nasty typhoon once, never miles and miles of it.
Gonna have to call this one bunk.. the pic of the man in the satyamag.com holding the green ball... Its not plastic... its glass. Those are used as buoys by fishermen.... generally they have a manila net around them that secures them to the trap. Only legal in Hawaii as far as the States are concerned, though enforcement is variable
- pyrewyrm, on 10/23/2007, -0/+0I agree... exaggerating a floating, semi-collected debris field as an island is a lie, pure and simple. I have seen debris fields in the ocean (though none like this "legendary" collection...) but these always occured in areas downwind and down-current from recent storms...
- dan222555, on 10/23/2007, -0/+2Oh so now it's just an "area", not an island anymore? Suddenly been demoted to just "an area"?
You see the point is this: when you exaggerate your claims to a level of absurdity as to claim there's "An enormous island of trash twice the size of Texas floating in the Pacific" no one is going to take you seriously. If the stupid environmentalists would just quit it with the ***** sensationalist hyperbole and just talk facts, maybe more people would pay attention.
- overtoke, on 10/23/2007, -1/+1where did i say i was innocent? there is an area (two of them) in the pacific which collect garbage, mostly plastic. the areas are twice the size of texas, and are completely polluted with plastic. the area is gigantic,and the number of people the people most involved and concerned with these problems don't have the resources to survey and document the problem in the way certain uninformed assholes seem to require as 'proof'
- dan222555, on 10/23/2007, -0/+3There's not a single picture there of any giant texas sized island...
- overtoke, on 10/23/2007, -0/+1here is the pic http://goalgreen.files.wordpress.com/2007/06/gyre. ...
The image above is a photograph taken from space of a gyre off the coast of Japan. The green swirl is actually quite brown; it is the collection of some of humanity’s most indestructible rubbish - plastic. There are about 5 gyres of this type in the world’s oceans, ranging from the size of Texas to the size of Africa.
http://goalgreen.com/2007/06/25/plastic-the-gift-t ...
the eastern gyre, one of the areas of interest. that is a swirl of plastic. yes, yes it really is. a soup of small plastic debris, stained and mixed with an algae slime. - pyrewyrm, on 10/23/2007, -1/+0Funny... I've traveled through that area not once, twice or even three times.... But something on the order of about 20.... I'll have to check my discharges...
never seen any "fields" of plastic or any garbage (Japanese pretty strict about garbage...) except after typhoon Etau hit in 2003... Really wrecked the coast near Nagioya and washed crap out to sea....
Oh, and commercial ships, by law, cannot dump plastic trach overboard (paper, metal, and food waste can be outside certain regions). And most ships do follow this law (and the few who don't couldn't hardly be responsible for the growth rates alleged by all these articles....). In fact, I doubt if you threw the whole shipping industry at it you could grow it that fast... Maybe you should tell the author (if the person will admit his/her name) to check their facts.
- overtoke, on 10/23/2007, -0/+1here is the pic http://goalgreen.files.wordpress.com/2007/06/gyre. ...
- davecor, on 10/23/2007, -1/+3Have another toke Overtoke... There is a huge difference between a ***** of garbage that runs miles and miles and TWICE THE SIZE of Texas.
*****, you'd see the damn thing on Google Earth pretty easily if it were that big.
This is what "Truthiness" is all about... It affirms something you are willing to believe, therefore it IS true.- overtoke, on 10/23/2007, -0/+1here is the pic http://goalgreen.files.wordpress.com/2007/06/gyre. ...
The image above is a photograph taken from space of a gyre off the coast of Japan. The green swirl is actually quite brown; it is the collection of some of humanity’s most indestructible rubbish - plastic. There are about 5 gyres of this type in the world’s oceans, ranging from the size of Texas to the size of Africa.
http://goalgreen.com/2007/06/25/plastic-the-gift-t ...
the eastern gyre, one of the areas of interest. that is a swirl of plastic. yes, yes it really is. a soup of small plastic debris, stained and mixed with an algae slime.
- overtoke, on 10/23/2007, -0/+1here is the pic http://goalgreen.files.wordpress.com/2007/06/gyre. ...
- NonLeftistDiggr, on 10/23/2007, -1/+1THEY'RE PLAYING ON OUR FEEEEEEEAAAAAARRRRRRSSSSS!!!
What a load of horse *****. People WANT to believe this. Sometimes this greeny crap is closer to religion than the greenies are willing to admit.
- tylerwest70, on 10/23/2007, -0/+5Those pictures are in some harbor somewhere. Where are the pictures of this Texas sized garbage island?
- spyguy33, on 10/23/2007, -3/+4It is a hypothetical "pile". What the article should have said, was that there was a high concentration over an area the size of Texas.
- killakan, on 10/23/2007, -2/+0Then it isn't an island, therefore the article is *****.
- killakan, on 10/23/2007, -2/+0Then it isn't an island, therefore the article is *****.
- VitriolAndAngst, on 10/23/2007, -6/+5You think because you don't know about it it can't exist -- that is sad.
Nobody is making money trying to get you to think or be aware -- -that unfortunately is YOUR responsibility. Good thing Digg is here to get people to know about all the buried stories.- mrferg, on 10/23/2007, -2/+1No, if there were something that big we would have heard about it. Ships would have navigated through it and crewmembers would have snapped pictures and posted them on flickr. I call BS.
- p0ss, on 10/23/2007, -0/+3http://science.howstuffworks.com/great-pacific-gar ...
- Seannaz453, on 10/23/2007, -0/+1The Titanic didn't hit an iceberg, it hit a large island of trash. It's all a conspiracy.
- overtoke, on 10/23/2007, -9/+5i feel sorry for people like you. it's people like you that allow things like this happen in the first place. your ignorance is disgusting.
- Gugel, on 10/22/2007, -0/+3It's not a huge mountain of garbage as the article makes it seem. It's actually an area with a relatively high concentration of garbage in the Pacific Ocean caused by currents. If you go through this "Garbage Patch" you might see some debris fragments every 25 meters or so.
- gubin09, on 10/23/2007, -4/+1I for one welcome our new trash overlords
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