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always seem so much longer than the trip out? It sighed, eager to get back home, back to its family. Garbage hauling was such a lonely, thankless job, though unquestionably an indispensible one. It would’ve been so much more economical to dump the waste closer, but that wasn’t very prudent. After all, someone could get seriously ill.

Of Gyres and Trash Vortices
    The Green Gyre is a set of nested stories. The first is, of course, an accounting of a series of visits to Earth by an alien race and the range of our responses to it. It’s also an unapologetic reflection of the weaker aspects of human psychology, from Mark William’s ruthlessness to our incredible capacity for blind faith and optimism, from the exploitation of our fears by governments and militaries to the exploitation of our short-term attention spans by reporters and other so-called celebrities. Finally, it is a parable about the dangers of pollution. The title references oceanic phenomena, called gyres, and the very real impact our activities have on their ecosystems and the species which depend on them.
    The North Pacific Gyre (NPG) is a natural structure located in the northern Pacific Ocean. It is one of the five major oceanic gyres, or circular ocean currents (the others are the Indian, North and South Atlantic, and South Pacific Gyres). The largest ecosystem in the world, the NPG is also the site of an unusually high concentration of man-made marine debris known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
    The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, or Pacific Trash Vortex, extends over an area of indeterminate size, depending on the concentration of plastic debris and chemical sludge used to define it. Estimates range from just under a million square kilometers to over fifteen million square kilometers. Nearly all of this material is suspended below the surface, and so it is not visible from space. Nor is it easily seen from near the surface, as most of the material is in the form of particulates known as microplastics, which are primarily formed by photodegradation and mechanical disruption of manmade waste material. As much as eighty percent of the pollution is thought to derive from land-based sources, presumably washed into the ocean from rivers.
    Inevitably, some of this material winds up in the stomachs of marine creatures. Nearly all of the albatrosses inhabiting Midway Island, for example, have plastic in their digestive system, and many of their chicks die from being fed plastic by their parents. Larger pieces can disrupt digestion and interfere with other physiological processes and movement. The plastics can also absorb organic pollutants, which can be toxic and cause hormonal disruptions. Transfer of these toxins up the food chain into humans is a significant medical concern.
    A reduction in the size of the patch must first start with changes in waste disposal practices and attitudes regarding pollution.
    Similar patches may be found in all the oceans.
    To learn more, click these links to read about The North Pacific Gyre and The Great Pacific Garbage Patch on Wikipedia.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
    My thanks to the devoted staff of Brinestone Press, who helped put this book together and get it out to you.

Other Speculative Fiction Titles
    by Saul Tanpepper

    Recode: T.G.C.A. (The Grayson Cole Affair)
    A metaphysical thriller

    Deep Into the Game (GAMELAND series)
    A cyberpunk thriller
    These are just two of Saul’s many works.
    For complete publication list and