Large amount of trash discovered in deep sea in Europe

There is a lot of garbage, bottles, plastic bags between and fishing nets, in the deep sea of Europe, the Mediterranean and European coast to the mesoatlântico, the 2,000 miles of Earth.

This is the result of an investigation which involved 15 organizations from all over Europe and was led by Center IMAR, University of the Azores.

The investigation gave rise to a scientific paper published on Wednesday in the journal PLOS ONE, which explains that the large amount of garbage that reaches the deep sea is a subject of global importance ". "The results of the study highlight the extent of the problem and the need for action to prevent the growing accumulation of garbage in marine environments", researchers have revealed.

Named Marin Litter Distribution and Density in European Seas, from the Shelves to Deep Basins, the study adds that the Marine trash still has the problem of being confused for a few animals as food, a process known as ghost fishing.

Of the approximately 600 samples taken by scientists over the Arctic Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean, including the Mediterranean Sea, between 35 and 4,500 meters deep, the plastic was the most common item. On the other hand, the garbage associated with fishing activities-networks and lines stuck in the bottom â€" is particularly common in seamounts, oceanic ridges and banks.

"This research has shown that the human garbage is present in all marine habitats, from beaches to deeper areas and remote areas of the oceans," explained Christopher Lusa Pham, researcher at the University of the Azores.

"Most of the deep sea remains unexplored by humans and this is our first visit to many of these sites, so we were shocked to discover that the trash was there before us," added the scientist.

According to the study, garbage was found in virtually all sites investigated, with plastic to contribute globally with about 41% and abandoned fishing equipment with about 34% of the total. It was also discovered glass, metal, wood, paper and cardboard, clothing, ceramics and other materials not identified.

Foto: BBM Explorer/Creative Commons

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