According to a recent study by scientists from Newcastle University (UK), plastic reached the very bottom of the ocean, and it was absorbed by the organisms living there.
Traces of plastic have been found inside crustaceans living in 6 deep Pacific trenches including the Mariana Trench. The depth of these trenches is up to 7 to 10+ kilometers with a maximum depth of 10890 meters (Challenger Abyss point of the Mariana Trench). Using state-of-the-art equipment, scientists analyzed 90 marine organisms, finding microplastic particles ingested in varying amounts (from 50% of the inhabitants of the New Hebrides Trench to 100% of the organisms of the Mariana Trench). The plastic fragments found in these organisms include a variety of materials, from microfibers used in textiles to nylon, polyethylene, polyamide and others.
This study, led by Dr. Alan Jamieson, was carried out as part of the Sky Ocean Rescue campaign, which was created to raise people's awareness of the intrusion of plastic and debris into the seas and oceans around us. He himself commented on the results:
Once the plastic has reached the deep seabed, there is simply nowhere else to go, so it remains to be assumed that now it will only accumulate in large quantities. This is very disturbing news. The discovery of plastic fibers inside animals at a depth of almost 11 kilometers shows a growing problem.
A year and a half ago, other scientists proved that even zooplankton absorbs marine microplastics, and one of the forecasts made 2 years ago promises that by 2050, almost all seabirds will contain plastic .
See also anekdotig:
- Newsletter: " Washing Synthetic Clothes Litters Seas with Small Plastic Fibers " (September 29, 2016)
- News: " Mr. Garbage Wheel Collected 350 Tons of Ocean Trash in Baltimore, USA in 1.5 Years " (December 25, 2015)
- News: " UN: 'Biodegradable' plastic decomposes poorly and harms the oceans " (November 25, 2015)
- News: " By 2050, over 99% of seabirds will eat plastic " (September 1, 2015)
- Newsletter: " Scientists prove for the first time that zooplankton eat microplastics found in the ocean " (July 27, 2015)
- Article: " Proper Waste Management ".
- Article: " Ocean garbage islands - a new heritage of civilization ."
- Video: What can we do to reduce ocean debris? - informative short film .
- Video: What Really Happens to the Plastic You Throw Away .
- Video: " Plastic bottles and ocean pollution ".
- Advice: " Write to product manufacturers to stop plastic packaging " (July 27, 2015)