The ocean is a mystery.
Consider that we only know about 19% of the ocean floor; no one really knows what the rest is like or what species live in the depths.
We have more information about Mars than about our own seas.
Today, we're going to tell you about one of the most interesting phenomena of the underwater world: Ocean Gyres.
In the ocean, there are three different types of currents: surface currents, caused by the wind's friction with the surface water; deep currents, due to variations in water temperature and salinity; and vertical currents, including upwelling and downwelling. The combination of these currents forms the thermohaline circulation, which is like the ocean's circulatory system. Thermohaline circulation serves to distribute heat from the warmer areas of the Earth to the colder ones: the utility of the Gulf Stream is famous, without which the countries of Northern Europe would be much colder than they already are.
Within the thermohaline circulation, there are special currents called Ocean Gyres or vortices. These currents create a spiral that transports more and more water towards its own center; it is estimated that at the center of these spirals, the water accumulates so much that the level can rise by as much as one meter! As a consequence of this accumulation, vertical downwelling currents are created in the center, carrying surface waters downwards and redistributing them throughout the Ocean.
Not only water accumulates in these vortices: floating plastic waste also gets trapped. Once it reaches the center of the spiral, however, the plastic cannot descend with the downwelling current like water, precisely because it floats; it therefore remains there, accumulating more and more and forming what we know as plastic islands.
Losing touch with and respect for nature means exactly this: transforming a balance into an imbalance.
Ocean Gyres, once fundamental ocean currents for the ecosystem, have now become traps for our waste.
What we can do is try to re-establish a balance by changing our lifestyle to be more conscious, more mindful, and more connected with the entire planet.
Which, let's face it, is perfect as it is.
And we should be grateful for it.
