"Great Pacific Garbage Patch"

Question

by Nsikan Akpan

Why it matters: “We provide a better understanding on the distribution of plastics — on what they are, what size and how often we can find them,” Lebreton said. “That can help engineers to design solutions to collect the plastic.”

Not only can conservationists use this data to design the right nets for cleaning the patch, but these numbers create a baseline for tracking the progress of the cleanup. For instance, by comparing their data to prior studies, they learned the concentration of microplastics has rapidly grown — tripling in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch since the 1970s.

This summer, The Ocean Cleanup foundation will lead an expedition to remove this plastic from the sea. They hope to clean up 50 percent of the patch within the next five years. The project will cost about $370 million, which they plan to finance by selling corporate sponsorships for the cleanup vessels.

But even if they wipe out the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, more trash will await. Four additional giant garbage patches exist in the ocean’s gyres, in the south Pacific, the north and south Atlantic and the Indian Oceans.

Lebreton said those other patches may not contain as much trash as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, but they cover areas of similar size.

© NewsHour Productions LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Question
Use the excerpt from the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch weighs more than 43,000 cars and is much larger than we thought” article to answer the question.

Which matter is left uncertain by the excerpt?

(1 point)
Responses

how the garbage patch has grown and changed over time
how the garbage patch has grown and changed over time

whether the cleanup expedition will raise sufficient funds
whether the cleanup expedition will raise sufficient funds

how the microplastics will be removed from the ocean
how the microplastics will be removed from the ocean

whether additional garbage patches will be discovered

Answer 1

The matter that is left uncertain by the excerpt is:

whether the cleanup expedition will raise sufficient funds