The Mediterranean Sea is now Europe’s deepest trash dump with plastic rubbish making it to the 5,112-metre-deep (16,770 ft) Calypso Deep, according to a new study published in the Marine Pollution Bulletin. Researchers from the University of Barcelona found 167 pieces of trash, mostly plastics, accompanied by metal soda cans and paper cartons at the bottom of the ocean.
Plastics Dominate Deep-Sea Waste
Plastics make up 88% of all the waste in Calypso Deep, which is in the Ionian Sea some 60 kilometers off the coast of the Peloponnese in Greece, says the research. Scientists employed the Limiting Factor, a technologically advanced manned submarine, to dive into the trench for 43 minutes along a distance of 650 meters at the bottom.
Although a seismically active region with active faults, Calypso Deep is now a dumping site for waste generated by humans, which poses serious environmental issues.
Warning from Experts
Miquel Canals, professor at the Department of Earth and Ocean Dynamics, who was involved in the study, gave a grim warning about the effects of waste deposition in the Mediterranean.
“Some light rubbish, including plastics, is transported in from the coast, where it makes a break for the Calypso Deep, a mere 60 kilometers distant. Some plastics, including bags, drift close to the bottom until they are covered partly or fully, or break up into tiny pieces,” explained Canals.
Scientists also found proof of boats disposing of bags of trash into the ocean, as evidenced by heaps of various types of waste followed by linear furrows.
Mediterranean Grapples with Serious Pollution Crisis
Experts explain that the ocean floor is still a mystery to society, in contrast to beaches or coastlines, and it is hard to create public and political concern regarding its preservation.
Canals reiterated further, “Unfortunately, as far as the Mediterranean is concerned, it would not be wrong to say that ‘not a single inch of it is clean’.”
Call for Global Action on Waste Management
The fact that these huge quantities of waste exist in one of the world’s most biologically rich seas has prompted scientists to issue urgent global policy recommendations. They emphasize the necessity to decrease waste generation, enhance waste management, and modify consumption patterns globally to avoid further damage to marine ecosystems.
