<P> The patch is not easily visible, because it consists of tiny pieces almost invisible to the naked eye . Most of its contents are suspended beneath the surface of the ocean, and the relatively low density of the plastic debris is, according to one scientific study, 5.1 kilograms per square kilometer of ocean area (5.1 mg / m). </P> <P> A similar patch of floating plastic debris is found in the Atlantic Ocean, called the North Atlantic garbage patch . </P> <P> It is thought that, like other areas of concentrated marine debris in the world's oceans, the Great Pacific garbage patch formed gradually as a result of ocean or marine pollution gathered by oceanic currents . The garbage patch occupies a large and relatively stationary region of the North Pacific Ocean bound by the North Pacific Gyre (a remote area commonly referred to as the horse latitudes). The gyre's rotational pattern draws in waste material from across the North Pacific Ocean, including coastal waters off North America and Japan . As material is captured in the currents, wind - driven surface currents gradually move floating debris toward the center, trapping it in the region . </P> <P> There is no strong scientific data concerning the origins of pelagic plastics . In a study published in 2014, researchers sampled 1571 locations throughout the worlds oceans, and determined that discarded fishing gear such as buoys, lines, and nets accounted for more than 60% of the mass of plastic marine debris . According to a 2011 EPA report, "The primary source of marine debris is the improper waste disposal or management of trash and manufacturing products, including plastics (e.g., littering, illegal dumping)... Debris is generated on land at marinas, ports, rivers, harbors, docks, and storm drains . Debris is generated at sea from fishing vessels, stationary platforms and cargo ships ." Pollutants range in size from abandoned fishing nets to micro-pellets used in abrasive cleaners . Currents carry debris from the west coast of North America to the gyre in about six years, and debris from the east coast of Asia in a year or less . </P>

When did the great pacific garbage patch form
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