The photo below is the Great Pacific garbage patch. This garbage patch was predicted by the NOAA in 1988. The prediction was based on results obtained by Alaska-based researchers between 1985 and 1988 that measured plactics in the North Pacific Ocean. The picture below is just a small portion of the patch. There are many patches in the Pacific Ocean. The size of the patches are estimated to range from 700,000 square kilometers to more than 15,000,000 square kilometers. In 2001, researchers found concentrations of plastic particles at 334,721 pieces per km2 with a mean mass of 5,114 grams (11.27 lbs) per km2. That's a lot of plastic!