Get to Know Our Oceans: The Pacific

The Pacific Ocean covers nearly 30 percent of the Earth's surface. Learn more about our ocean.

In the above image, debris collects on the beach of Kanapou Bay, Hawaii. This debris threatens fragile coral reefs and the habitats of many marine species.

Marine debris is a major threat to all the world’s oceans, but it is particularly infamous in the Pacific Ocean, where marine debris has concentrated to form “garbage patches” in the eastern and western areas of the North Pacific Ocean. The exact size and content of these “patches” are difficult to accurately measure, as much of the debris is microscopic.

Covering about 28 percent of the Earth’s surface (155 million square kilometers), the Pacific Ocean is the world’s largest ocean and sustains many marine species, such as the dugong, the sea lion and the sea otter. The Pacific Ocean also plays a key role in the global economy by providing transportation routes, fishing grounds and other natural resources.

To learn more about the Pacific Ocean or how you can help to reduce marine debris, visit the Smithsonian Institution’s Ocean Portal.