Ocean Garborator?

Gyres in the ocean are circular or spiralling motions caused by circular ocean surface current. These swirling vortexes are caused mainly by the global wind system and the continents surround the main gyres so they stay in that area. The circulation patterns from the wind curl is determined by the planetary vorticity and friction in both horizontal and vertical directions. The wind curl involves torque which is pretty much the inclination of a force to rotate an object around an axis like a lever fulcrum or pivot. In other words, torque is like a twist just like force is a push or pull. The wind curls in circles, causing the waters in a certain part of the ocean to always be in the same general area. In a way like how the tide goes in but goes back out by the shores, the ocean currents occur throughout the ocean. The Coriolis effect, to be explained in a later blog, is another reason why there are ocean gyres. The picture below is of the currents of the North Pacific Gyre. It can be seen that the arrows indicating the direction of the different ocean currents like the North Pacific Drift and the North Equatorial Current and the smaller currents form a circle that goes around and around in a clockwise motion. These gyres are like vortexes where once something enters into a gyre, only storms and really strong winds can cause it to exit.
Because of the swirling movement of all the gyres in the first picture at the top, even if something can escape the circular motion of one gyre then it will most likely go to the next closest one just because of the relationship of all the gyres and each of their different rotations gets interlaced.

Our focus is on the North Pacific Gyre because it is one of the larger gyres. The area in which it is located is also a factor because it is between Asia and North America, the two busiest in importing and exporting continents with their many businesses and factories. Goods are often shipped by vessels and watercrafts like boats. Apparently these boats are a major factor of litter in the ocean. More to come on what the interaction is between gyres and garbage!

"As trash swirls through the world’s oceans to a handful of vortexes like this, it leaves a trail of death and destruction along its path." - from www.oceans.greenpeace.org

www.thefreedictionary.com/gyre
www.algalita.org/pdf/plastics%20are%20forever%20english.pdf
www.wikipedia.org/wiki/gyre
http://arstechnica.com/old/content/2007/10/texas-sized-garbage-patch-threatens-pacific-marine-sanctuary.ars.