Plastic Bag
The Mariana Trench is located in the Western Pacific Ocean approximately 200 km east of the Mariana Islands. The Mariana trench reaches a depth of 36,000 ft (11000 m) and is the deepest oceanic trench on the planet. The crescent shaped trench is about 2,550 km in length and 69 km in width.
Though even at a depth of 36,000 ft (11000 m) the Mariana Trench is not spared from human impact. Deep sea expeditions have discovered ropes, beer cans, plastic bags and candy wrappers.
Researchers have also found toxic chemicals at extremely high levels in animals collected in the Mariana Trench. One of these toxic chemicals found at extraordinarily levels was polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). PCB is a cancerous chemical that was universally banned in the 1970s. The PCB levels in the Mariana trench animals were 50 times greater than levels found in animals near the Liaohe River system, one of the most polluted rivers in China.
The researchers believe the PCB initially was stored in the fatty tissue of larger marine animals, such as whales and dolphins, something previous research has shown. When these large marine animals die, their contaminated carcasses fall to the depths of the ocean to be scavenged on by smaller creatures, which accumulate the contamination in themselves.
Researcher Alan Jamieson put it best, "We still think of the deep ocean as being this remote and pristine realm, safe from human impact, but our research shows that, sadly, this could not be further from the truth.”
To learn about efforts to remove plastic from the ocean click the link below:
https://theoceancleanup.com/