SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
A plastic bag found on the bottom of the Mariana Trench.
(Image: Screenshot, BBC Video)
What Did Deepest Submarine Dive in History Find in Mariana Trench? Plastic Garbage
"Our waste is finding its way into the planet's most remote environments."
May 13, 2019
Four new species of crustaceans. Samples of rock from the seafloor. Plastic pollution.
That's what American explorer Victor Vescovo found when he descended seven miles underwater to the Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean--the deepest dive in human history. The plastic Vescovo found at the bottom of the trench is a grim reminder that human refuse is everywhere on the planet.
Vescovo and his team announced they had made the journey to the bottom of the trench on Monday. Along with the dive depth record, Vescovo holds the distinction of being the first person to dive to the trench more than once.
\u201cHumans have reached the ocean's extreme depths for the 3d time, nearly 11km (seven miles) down the Pacific Ocean's Mariana Trench. There were sea creatures, but a plastic bag and sweet wrappers were also found\nhttps://t.co/QOqd3fVQMB\u201d— Alfons L\u00f3pez Tena \ud83e\udd87 (@Alfons L\u00f3pez Tena \ud83e\udd87) 1557763539
According to the BBC, Vescovo's team collected samples from the sea floor for further study.
The scientists now plan to test the creatures they collected to see if they contain microplastics, a recent study found this was a widespread problem, even for animals living in the deep.
Reaction to Vescovo's accomplishment was tempered by his discovery of the plastics.
"Our waste is finding its way into the planet's most remote environments," BBC science correspondent Rebecca Morelle said.
\u201cThird ever time humans have made it to bottom of the Mariana Trench - and what do they see? Eerie landscape, amazing life... and a plastic bag! Our waste is finding its way into the planet\u2019s most remote environments @FiveDeeps https://t.co/qtjnjtSI4U\u201d— Rebecca Morelle (@Rebecca Morelle) 1557760770
The Science Channel listed off all the life found on the sea floor--and plastic.
\u201cWhat's it like at the bottom of #MarianaTrench, 35,853 ft below the waves? This habitat is home to an array of unique creatures incl Arrowtooth Eel, Grenadiers, Cusk Eel, Snailfish, and more... The @FiveDeeps team also found plastic waste on the ocean floor.\ud83d\ude14\ud83c\udf0a #DeepPlanet\u201d— Science Channel (@Science Channel) 1557761777
It's "a travesty that even at our ocean's deepest reaches, humanity's garbage is having an impact," said TV host Rachel Rudwall.
\u201cTremendous achievement by #VictorVescovo and his team at the #MarianaTrench, but a travesty that even at our ocean\u2019s deepest reaches, humanity\u2019s garbage is having an impact. https://t.co/eAFafWmrl7\u201d— Rachel Rudwall (@Rachel Rudwall) 1557773742
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Four new species of crustaceans. Samples of rock from the seafloor. Plastic pollution.
That's what American explorer Victor Vescovo found when he descended seven miles underwater to the Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean--the deepest dive in human history. The plastic Vescovo found at the bottom of the trench is a grim reminder that human refuse is everywhere on the planet.
Vescovo and his team announced they had made the journey to the bottom of the trench on Monday. Along with the dive depth record, Vescovo holds the distinction of being the first person to dive to the trench more than once.
\u201cHumans have reached the ocean's extreme depths for the 3d time, nearly 11km (seven miles) down the Pacific Ocean's Mariana Trench. There were sea creatures, but a plastic bag and sweet wrappers were also found\nhttps://t.co/QOqd3fVQMB\u201d— Alfons L\u00f3pez Tena \ud83e\udd87 (@Alfons L\u00f3pez Tena \ud83e\udd87) 1557763539
According to the BBC, Vescovo's team collected samples from the sea floor for further study.
The scientists now plan to test the creatures they collected to see if they contain microplastics, a recent study found this was a widespread problem, even for animals living in the deep.
Reaction to Vescovo's accomplishment was tempered by his discovery of the plastics.
"Our waste is finding its way into the planet's most remote environments," BBC science correspondent Rebecca Morelle said.
\u201cThird ever time humans have made it to bottom of the Mariana Trench - and what do they see? Eerie landscape, amazing life... and a plastic bag! Our waste is finding its way into the planet\u2019s most remote environments @FiveDeeps https://t.co/qtjnjtSI4U\u201d— Rebecca Morelle (@Rebecca Morelle) 1557760770
The Science Channel listed off all the life found on the sea floor--and plastic.
\u201cWhat's it like at the bottom of #MarianaTrench, 35,853 ft below the waves? This habitat is home to an array of unique creatures incl Arrowtooth Eel, Grenadiers, Cusk Eel, Snailfish, and more... The @FiveDeeps team also found plastic waste on the ocean floor.\ud83d\ude14\ud83c\udf0a #DeepPlanet\u201d— Science Channel (@Science Channel) 1557761777
It's "a travesty that even at our ocean's deepest reaches, humanity's garbage is having an impact," said TV host Rachel Rudwall.
\u201cTremendous achievement by #VictorVescovo and his team at the #MarianaTrench, but a travesty that even at our ocean\u2019s deepest reaches, humanity\u2019s garbage is having an impact. https://t.co/eAFafWmrl7\u201d— Rachel Rudwall (@Rachel Rudwall) 1557773742
Four new species of crustaceans. Samples of rock from the seafloor. Plastic pollution.
That's what American explorer Victor Vescovo found when he descended seven miles underwater to the Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean--the deepest dive in human history. The plastic Vescovo found at the bottom of the trench is a grim reminder that human refuse is everywhere on the planet.
Vescovo and his team announced they had made the journey to the bottom of the trench on Monday. Along with the dive depth record, Vescovo holds the distinction of being the first person to dive to the trench more than once.
\u201cHumans have reached the ocean's extreme depths for the 3d time, nearly 11km (seven miles) down the Pacific Ocean's Mariana Trench. There were sea creatures, but a plastic bag and sweet wrappers were also found\nhttps://t.co/QOqd3fVQMB\u201d— Alfons L\u00f3pez Tena \ud83e\udd87 (@Alfons L\u00f3pez Tena \ud83e\udd87) 1557763539
According to the BBC, Vescovo's team collected samples from the sea floor for further study.
The scientists now plan to test the creatures they collected to see if they contain microplastics, a recent study found this was a widespread problem, even for animals living in the deep.
Reaction to Vescovo's accomplishment was tempered by his discovery of the plastics.
"Our waste is finding its way into the planet's most remote environments," BBC science correspondent Rebecca Morelle said.
\u201cThird ever time humans have made it to bottom of the Mariana Trench - and what do they see? Eerie landscape, amazing life... and a plastic bag! Our waste is finding its way into the planet\u2019s most remote environments @FiveDeeps https://t.co/qtjnjtSI4U\u201d— Rebecca Morelle (@Rebecca Morelle) 1557760770
The Science Channel listed off all the life found on the sea floor--and plastic.
\u201cWhat's it like at the bottom of #MarianaTrench, 35,853 ft below the waves? This habitat is home to an array of unique creatures incl Arrowtooth Eel, Grenadiers, Cusk Eel, Snailfish, and more... The @FiveDeeps team also found plastic waste on the ocean floor.\ud83d\ude14\ud83c\udf0a #DeepPlanet\u201d— Science Channel (@Science Channel) 1557761777
It's "a travesty that even at our ocean's deepest reaches, humanity's garbage is having an impact," said TV host Rachel Rudwall.
\u201cTremendous achievement by #VictorVescovo and his team at the #MarianaTrench, but a travesty that even at our ocean\u2019s deepest reaches, humanity\u2019s garbage is having an impact. https://t.co/eAFafWmrl7\u201d— Rachel Rudwall (@Rachel Rudwall) 1557773742
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.