A recent study found that the sea floor is littered with different kinds of garbage such as fishing nets, plastic bags, bottles and much more.
The litter was seen in most parts of the Mediterranean to the European continental shelf and the Mid-Atlantic Ridge at a distance of 2000 kilometers - about 1242 miles - from land. Litter, especially discarded pieces made of plastic, is a major threat to the marine ecosystem, because some animals and coral reefs tend to mistake them for food and ingest them.
The study is a collaborative effort of 15 organizations spearheaded by the University of the Azores in Portugal. Researchers from Plymouth University's The Mapping the Deep Project also participated in the study. Other collaborators included the HERMIONE Project of the European Union, as well as the University of Southampton and the British Geological Survey.
The researchers collected samples from the Arctic ocean, Atlantic, and the Mediterranean Sea at a depth of 35 meters to 4.5 kilometers. Litter was seen in every site the team visited. 41 percent of the debris was made of plastic, while 34 percent came from glass and metal, wood, cardboard or paper, pottery, clothing, and other unidentified materials.
Christopher Pham, a research assistant from the University of the Azores said in a press release: "We found that plastic was the most common litter item found on the seafloor, while trash associated with fishing activities (discarded fishing lines and nets) was particularly common on seamounts, banks, mounds and ocean ridges. The most dense accumulations of litter were found in deep underwater canyons."
Associate professor at Plymouth University Dr. Kerry Howell explained that the survey presents conclusive proof that trash produced by humans has reached even the deepest marine ecosystems and the most remote part of the ocean.
The survey also maps the usual path that the litter takes and how they travel from the coast until they reach the seafloor.
Further details of the study were published in the April 30 issue of PLOS One.
