display

Frankfurt / Main (dpa) - In a deep sea trench in the Pacific Ocean, researchers have discovered masses of microplastics at a depth of 8,250 meters.

As the team around the Frankfurt Senckenberg scientists Serena Abel and Angelika Brandt writes in the journal "Environmental Pollution", up to 209 of the plastic remains, which are only a few micrometers in size, were found in one kilogram of sediment.

“We found microplastics most often at one of the deepest sampling stations,” reports Abel.

The researchers draw the conclusion that “the trenches on the ocean floor can be a reservoir for plastic”.

Microplastics can now be found in the remotest places on earth: In November, particles were detected in the death zone of Mount Everest, the year before in snow samples from the Arctic.

“Microplastics in the deep sea also mean that the base of the food chain is affected, as many invertebrates eat sediment, including the microplastic items.

Unfortunately, future generations will be confronted with the traces of today's environmental pollution for a long time to come, ”says Brandt.

The eight samples were reportedly taken in 2016 during an expedition in the northwestern Pacific in the Kuril-Kamchatka Trench at a depth of between 5143 and 8255 meters.

15 different types of plastic were detected, including the polypropylene used for packaging.

Most of the tiny particles were smaller than an eighth of a millimeter.

The scientists cannot say why more plastic is deposited in the deeper zones.

display

Senckenberg Society for Natural Research