The Great Pacific (or Atlantic) Garbage Patch is a collection of  in the North Pacific Ocean. Marine debris is litter that ends up in oceans, seas, and other large bodies of water. 

• How did it come to be in the middle of the Pacific/Atlantic and what's keeping it there?

The circular motion of the gyre draws debris into this stable center, where it becomes trapped

Roughly located in an area between 135° to 155°W and 35° to 42°N, northwest of Hawaii, and Indian Ocean.

Who is helping solve this problem? The ocean Cleanup

What are some solutions to this problem?

Extraction- viable method to remove almost half the plastic

Prevention- stopping plastic pollution, but will require radical changes in all levels of society.

Interception- develop spin-offs of our passive collection technology for implementation in river deltas and other waterways that transport plastic to the oceans. This could provide a rapid reduction of the influx of new plastics into the oceans.

Why do you think such a big problem is relatively unheard of? Because people don't care about the ocean, they care about what's happening on land.

How can people help spread information about this problem and/or help develop solutions? Don't liter, ads, and go around the beaches and tell people to don't liter.