We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Massive occurrence of benthic plastic debris at the abyssal seafloor beneath the Kuroshio Extension, the North West Pacific
Summary
Researchers used remotely operated vehicles to conduct a quantitative survey of plastic debris on the abyssal seafloor at depths of 5700 to 5800 meters beneath the Kuroshio Extension current in the Northwest Pacific. They found massive amounts of benthic debris, with plastic dominating the composition, confirming that the deep-sea floor beneath major ocean current systems is a major sink for surface-derived plastic pollution. The study provides rare direct evidence of deep-sea plastic accumulation at abyssal depths.
Abstract The deep-sea is considered to be an ultimate sink for marine plastic debris. The abyssal (3500-6500 m) covers the bulk of the deep ocean floor yet little is known about the extent of plastic debris on the abyssal seafloor. We undertook a quantitative assessment of debris presents on the abyssal seafloor (5700-5800 m depth) beneath the Kuroshio Extension current system in the Northwest Pacific, which is one of the major transit points for massive amounts of debris sourced from Asia that are entering the North Pacific Ocean. The dominant type of debris was single-use plastics-mainly bags and food packaging. The density of plastic debris (average 4561 items km −2 ) in the abyssal zone was the highest recorded for an abyssal plain, suggesting that the deep-sea basin of the Northwest Pacific is a significant reservoir of plastic debris.