How far down have microplastics been found in the ocean?
Microplastics have reached the deepest trenches on Earth - no part of the ocean is untouched by human pollution.
The answer
Microplastics have been discovered at the bottom of the Mariana Trench, nearly 11,000 meters deep. A 2019 study published in Royal Society Open Science found microplastic fibers in every single sediment sample collected from six of the world's deepest ocean trenches. Concentrations in the Mariana Trench reached 2,200 pieces per liter of sediment. Deep-sea organisms including amphipods at 7,000 meters have been found with plastic fibers in their digestive systems. Research from 2020 estimated that 14 million metric tons of microplastic sit on the ocean floor globally - 25 times more than floating on the surface. These particles can carry toxic pollutants into deep-sea food webs.
Source: National Geographic
- microplastics
- ocean pollution
- deep sea
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