www.cbc.ca
Open in
urlscan Pro
104.106.249.245
Public Scan
URL:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/plastic-deep-sea-debris-ocean-trench-1.4667038
Submission: On December 10 via manual from US — Scanned from CA
Submission: On December 10 via manual from US — Scanned from CA
Form analysis 1 forms found in the DOM
<form class="searchForm">
<div class="search-autocomplete">
<div id="gn-compact-search-suggestions-status" class="a11y" role="status" aria-atomic="true" aria-live="polite"></div><input type="search" id="gn-compact-search" class="searchInput" name="query" placeholder="Search CBC.ca" aria-haspopup="listbox"
autocomplete="off" autocorrect="off" aria-autocomplete="both" aria-controls="gn-compact-search-autocomplete" aria-describedby="gn-compact-search-autocomplete-assistiveHint" aria-label="Search CBC.ca"><span class="a11y"
id="gn-compact-search-autocomplete-assistiveHint">When search suggestions are available use up and down arrows to review and enter to select.</span>
</div><button class="searchButton">Search</button>
</form>Text Content
Content
Skip to Main ContentAccessibility Help
Menu
When search suggestions are available use up and down arrows to review and enter
to select.
Search
Search
Sign In
QUICK LINKS
* News
* Sports
* Radio
* Music
* Listen Live
* TV
* Watch
* news
* Top Stories
* Local
* Climate
* World
* Canada
* Politics
* Indigenous
* Opinion
* The National
* Business
* Health
* Entertainment
* Science
* CBC News Investigates
* Go Public
* About CBC News
* Being Black in Canada
* More
* Business
* Health
* Entertainment
* Science
* CBC News Investigates
* Go Public
* About CBC News
* Being Black in Canada
Plastics, other garbage found in ocean trench nearly 11 kilometres below surface
| CBC News Loaded
Science·Video
PLASTICS, OTHER GARBAGE FOUND IN OCEAN TRENCH NEARLY 11 KILOMETRES BELOW SURFACE
New research published in the journal Marine Policy shows that humanity's
garbage isn't just floating on the ocean surface where there might be some hope
of cleaning it up. Video footage has captured images of garbage — including
single-use plastics — on the bottom of the earth's deepest ocean trench more
than 10 km below.
SOCIAL SHARING
* Facebook
0
* Twitter
0
* Email
0
* Reddit
0
* LinkedIn
0
NEW RESEARCH, VIDEO FOOTAGE SHOW HUMANITY'S GARBAGE IS REACHING THE FURTHEST
DEPTHS OF THE OCEAN
Brandie Weikle · CBC News · Posted: May 21, 2018 4:00 AM ET | Last Updated: May
22, 2018
In this image provided by the Japan Agency for Marine Earth Science and
Technology, plastic bags are seen in the background on the floor of the Pacific
Ocean's Mariana Trench, the deepest ocean trench in the world. (JAMESTEC)
You've heard of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, the region of mostly plastics
that's grown in area three times the size of France.
But new research published in the journal Marine Policy shows that humanity's
garbage isn't just floating on the ocean surface where there might be some hope
of cleaning it up. Video footage has captured images of garbage — single-use
plastics bags, to be specific — on the bottom of the earth's deepest ocean
trench more than 10 kilometres below the surface.
The study authors used images and video compiled into the Deep-sea Debris
Database, which was made available for public use a year ago by the Japan Agency
for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC). Collected since 1983, the
images were gathered by deep-sea submersibles and remotely operated vehicles.
* Great Pacific Garbage Patch is 16 times bigger than previously estimated,
study finds
* Canada's G7 anti-plastics push would fare better with federal policies,
professor says
Pollution from plastic has emerged as a major threat to ocean ecosystems, and
previous studies have documented the waste that accumulates on coasts and ocean
surfaces.
But until now, limited information has been available on the scale of the human
debris problem in deep seas.
> This study showed that even the world's deepest environment is now threatened
> by our daily activities- Sanae Chiba, ocean scientist
"From the beginning we expected we probably would find lots of plastic products
in the deep sea everywhere," said Sanae Chiba, the study's lead author and
a senior scientist at JAMSTEC currently on secondment to the UN Environment
World Conservation Monitoring Centre in Cambridge.
She said the research started when she and her colleagues realized they had an
enormous amount of information available for analyzing debris in the ocean
from the 30-plus years of images gathered during high-tech exploration of the
ocean depths around the world.
Watch remarkable underwater footage showing debris and wildlife in the Pacific's
Mariana Trench.
NOAA RELEASES IMAGES OF POLLUTION NEAR BOTTOM OF MARIANA TRENCH
5 years ago
Duration 0:58
Scientists report debris found at depths of more than 10 kilometres
They were right. Among all the forms of man-made debris in the ocean — including
fishing gear, metal, glass, rubber and other materials — clearly visible
plastics made up about 33 per cent of the total. Of those so-called
macro-plastics, nearly 90 per cent were single-use items like plastic
supermarket bags, said Chiba.
* Humans have produced 8.3 billion tonnes of plastic, researchers say
"We expected it but it's still surprising that we found these pieces of plastic
bag in the Mariana Trench, that is over 10,000 metres deep. It's the deepest
part of the ocean where only the highest technology submersible can reach," she
said.
"For most people, the deep-sea environment is far away. Most people believe it's
detached from our daily lives," she said. "This study showed that even the
world's deepest environment is now threatened by our daily activities.
'AN INTERNATIONAL PROBLEM'
Susanna Fuller, a senior project manager with Oceans North, a non-profit that's
unaffiliated with the research, said these study results are "another wake-up
call to the impact that humans are having in places we have never been."
While she's encouraged by the amount of conversation happening about plastic
pollution, Fuller said it's not enough.
Deep-sea equipment captured a photograph of a Budweiser beer can on the floor of
the trench. (NOAA)
"We need to move from those good intentions and words to action. I'm just kind
of amazed that places like Canada haven't said, 'OK, guys, no more plastic
bags. If Kenya can do it, we can do it.'
"Some of the larger grocery stores and businesses are getting on side, but it
does need a regulatory response. I think we're getting to that point."
* Ocean 'conveyor belt' brings billions of plastic particles into Arctic waters
Chiba said she hopes governments will work together to tackle the problem of
ocean plastics.
"No single country can solve the problem because once the plastic debris enters
the ocean it's transported everywhere," she said. "It's an international
problem."
The good news, she said, is that compared to other global problems such as
warming and ocean acidification, plastic pollution is easier to understand and
manage. "If we act now, we can solve it."
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Brandie Weikle
Journalist
Brandie Weikle is a writer and editor for CBC Radio based in Toronto. She joined
CBC in 2016 after a long tenure as a magazine and newspaper editor. Brandie
covers a range of subjects but has special interests in health, family and the
workplace. She is currently the acting senior producer for CBC Radio's digital
team. You can reach her at brandie.weikle@cbc.ca.
* Listen to Brandie's radio documentary Fatherhood, Interrupted
* Follow Brandie on Twitter
CBC's Journalistic Standards and Practices|About CBC News
Corrections and clarifications|Submit a news tip|Report error
RELATED STORIES
* Humans have produced 8.3 billion tonnes of plastic, researchers say
* Canada's G7 anti-plastics push would fare better with federal policies,
professor says
* Great Pacific Garbage Patch is 16 times bigger than previously estimated,
study finds
* Arctic sea ice jammed with plastics from Pacific garbage patch
FOOTER LINKS
MY ACCOUNT
* Profile
* CBC Gem
* Newsletters
* About CBC Accounts
CONNECT WITH CBC
* Facebook
* Twitter
* YouTube
* Instagram
* Mobile
* RSS
* Podcasts
CONTACT CBC
* Submit Feedback
* Help Centre
Audience Relations, CBC
P.O. Box 500 Station A
Toronto, ON
Canada, M5W 1E6
Toll-free (Canada only):
1-866-306-4636
ABOUT CBC
* Corporate Info
* Sitemap
* Reuse & Permission
* Terms of Use
* Privacy
* Jobs
* Our Unions
* Independent Producers
* Political Ads Registry
* AdChoices
SERVICES
* Ombudsman
* Corrections and Clarifications
* Public Appearances
* Commercial Services
* CBC Shop
* Doing Business with Us
* Renting Facilities
* Radio Canada International
ACCESSIBILITY
It is a priority for CBC to create a website that is accessible to all Canadians
including people with visual, hearing, motor and cognitive challenges.
Closed Captioning and Described Video is available for many CBC shows offered on
CBC Gem.
* About CBC Accessibility
* Accessibility Feedback
*
* ©2022 CBC/Radio-Canada. All rights reserved.
* Visitez Radio-Canada.ca
now
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CBC Caffeine Player 17.16.5
INFORMATION ABOUT COOKIES
Please know that cookies are required to operate and enhance our services as
well as for advertising purposes. We value your privacy. If you are not
comfortable with us using this information, please review your settings before
continuing your visit.
Learn moreClose
0