<P> The great Pacific garbage patch was described in a 1988 paper published by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of the United States . The description was based on results obtained by several Alaska - based researchers in 1988 that measured neustonic plastic in the North Pacific Ocean . Researchers found relatively high concentrations of marine debris accumulating in regions governed by ocean currents . Extrapolating from findings in the Sea of Japan, the researchers hypothesized that similar conditions would occur in other parts of the Pacific where prevailing currents were favorable to the creation of relatively stable waters . They specifically indicated the North Pacific Gyre . </P> <P> Charles J. Moore, returning home through the North Pacific Gyre after competing in the Transpacific Yacht Race in 1997, claimed to have come upon an enormous stretch of floating debris . Moore alerted the oceanographer Curtis Ebbesmeyer, who subsequently dubbed the region the "Eastern Garbage Patch" (EGP). The area is frequently featured in media reports as an exceptional example of marine pollution . </P> <P> The Pacific garbage patch is not easily seen from the sky, because the plastic is dispersed over a large area . Researchers from The Ocean Cleanup have found the patch to cover an area of 1.6 million square kilometers . The plastic concentration is estimated to be up to 100 kilograms per square kilometer in the center of the patch, going down to 10 kilograms per square kilometer in the outer parts of the patch . There is an estimate of 80.000 metric tonnes of plastic in the patch, totalling 1.8 trillion pieces . When accounting for the total mass, 92% of the debris found in the patch consists of objects larger than 0.5 centimeters . </P> <P> A similar patch of floating plastic debris is found in the Atlantic Ocean, called the North Atlantic garbage patch . </P>

Where does the trash in the garbage patch come from