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If you can't see it does it still exist? Marine Debris in the Deep Sea
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This piece discusses the problem that marine debris data from the deep sea (below 200 meters) are rarely systematically collected, and describes the development of a smartphone app that allows scientists and observers to report deep-sea debris sightings as opportunistic 'citizen science.' The work aims to build a more complete picture of how plastic pollution is distributed throughout the entire ocean, not just at the surface.
The United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) estimates that 6.4 million tons of waste enters our oceans every year, with rubbish entering the oceans from both land- and ocean-based sources. Evidence of anthropogenic debris or âmarine litterâ has been found throughout the world in areas of the deep sea, classified here as >200 meters. While some papers have been published on specific regions, debris data are typically a secondary priority on ships and when debris is observed during deep sea sampling this information goes unrecorded. In an effort to âcrowdsourceâ data, or gather opportunistic data, on the type and location of debris in this area, I, in partnership with Arda Varilshua, have developed an iPhone application, Deep Sea Debris. This app allows users to photograph, describe and upload pictures to a network and map to visually display the types and distribution of debris. The Deep Sea Debris app can be used to share information to help create a better picture of human impacts in the deep sea.
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Researchers document how plastic pollution is accumulating in deep-sea biogenic habitats including coral reefs, kelp forests, and seagrass meadows, threatening the rich biodiversity these ecosystems support. The authors argue that the out-of-sight nature of these habitats means plastic impacts there receive far less public and regulatory attention than surface ocean pollution.
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Researchers analyzed deep-sea sediments from the Atlantic, Mediterranean, and Indian Ocean and found microplastic fibers up to 4 orders of magnitude more concentrated than at the contaminated sea surface, identifying the deep seafloor as a vast and previously unknown repository of the world's 'missing' plastic.
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Remotely operated vehicles and custom samplers were used to collect microplastics from depths of 5–1000 m in Monterey Bay, finding that microplastic concentrations in mesopelagic waters (200–600 m depth) were comparable to or higher than surface concentrations. The study demonstrates that the deep ocean is not merely a sink but an active reservoir of microplastics vertically transported by biological organisms.
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This critical review examined knowledge, current practices, and challenges in studying macrolitter on the seafloor, the least-investigated sink for marine debris. The seafloor covers 70% of Earth's surface and receives substantial plastic input, yet most of it lies in the deep sea where monitoring is technically difficult and expensive.
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Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.