The discovery of plastic waste in the Mariana Trench’s Challenger Deep - Earth’s deepest point at nearly 7 miles down - revealed the horrifying global reach of plastic pollution.
The Discovery
In May 2019, explorer Victor Vescovo’s record-breaking dive to Challenger Deep (35,853 feet) found a plastic bag and candy wrappers. The Five Deeps Expedition documented plastic at every trench visited - Puerto Rico, South Sandwich, Java, Mariana. No part of the ocean escapes contamination.
Microplastic Invasion
A 2020 study found microplastics in organisms from the Mariana Trench at concentrations similar to polluted rivers. Amphipods (shrimp-like creatures) at 6,000+ meters contained microfibers from synthetic clothing. Plastic reaches the abyss faster than decomposition, accumulating in the food chain.
The Numbers
An estimated 8 million tons of plastic enter oceans annually. Over 5 trillion pieces of plastic float in surface waters, but that’s only 1% of total ocean plastic - most sinks to the seafloor. The deepest trenches become garbage dumps, plastic concentrated by ocean currents and gravity.
New Species, Old Plastic
The same expedition discovering new deep-sea species found them already contaminated with human pollution. A new amphipod species was named Eurythenes plasticus to highlight the crisis. These creatures have never seen sunlight, yet they consume our waste.
Solutions?
Cleanup efforts focus on surface plastic (Ocean Cleanup Project, etc.), but deep-sea plastic is effectively permanent - no technology exists to retrieve it safely. Prevention is the only answer: reduce single-use plastics, improve waste management, biodegradable alternatives. The damage done persists for centuries.
Source: Nature Deep Sea Plastic