A middle-school lesson in TeachEngineering's digital mapping unit that uses ocean-current data to explain why floating plastic gathers in gyres (huge, slowly circling ocean currents), and what the Great Pacific Garbage Patch actually is (a diffuse field, not an island). Tagged to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). Pairs with our ages 12–14 lesson and the 'Where does my plastic go?' explainer.
Who made and funded this: TeachEngineering, University of Colorado Boulder, funded by the US National Science Foundation (NSF). Non-commercial classroom use permitted. Link only.