Scientists issue dire warning after disturbing discovery made at the bottom of the ocean: 'Not a single inch of it is clean'

Littering is a pet peeve of many, and unfortunately, nowhere seems to be safe from this disgusting habit. 

Scientists have even found trash at the very bottom of the Mediterranean Sea.

What's happening?

As Universitat de Barcelona shared, an international team of researchers found 167 items at the bottom of the Calypso Deep, the deepest point of the Mediterranean Sea that is around 3.2 miles below the water level.

According to the report, 148 of the items were marine debris, while the other 19 are thought to be of human origin. The experts said this is one of the highest concentrations on record of trash found in the great depths of the sea. 

The researchers sent a manned submarine into the waters off the southwest coast of Greece, and images were taken and then studied by the team. Miquel Canals, a professor at the Department of Earth and Ocean Dynamics at the Universitat de Barcelona, said that among the items found were full bags of rubbish, with evidence that these were dropped by boats.

Why is marine litter concerning?

In addition to being deplorable, inappropriate dumping of rubbish can have severe negative impacts on ecosystems — and that's especially true in oceans and seas. 

Creatures can get caught up in discarded fishing nets, ingest plastic waste, and even be buried by items that are large enough.

What's more, depending on the type of debris dropped in the ocean, it could release toxins that can impact the health of marine animals.

"Unfortunately, as far as the Mediterranean is concerned, it would not be wrong to say that 'not a single inch of it is clean,'" Canals said. 

Because Calypso Deep is set within the Hellenic Trench, it's an ideal location to trap waste that has been carried by ocean currents. Since humans have such limited access to this area, clean-up efforts are near impossible, so it's likely these items could remain in the area for decades and cause damage to the ecosystem all the while.

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What can be done about marine litter?

First and foremost, we need to be careful about how we deal with waste materials. Understanding your recycling options means plastic, paper, and glass can be processed properly and even given a second life — and stop them from ending up in the sea.

According to Our World in Data, "one to two million tonnes of plastic [around 1.1 to 2.2 million tons] enter our oceans yearly," so reducing our use of this material — especially single-use items — can make a real difference.

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