Plastic in the deep sea Plastic debris has entered every corner of the ocean, but previously, most of the research has concentrated on floating plastic or beach trash. That changed with this latest study, which took a closer look at what is occurring on the ocean floor. <\/p>\n Scientists discovered that the Levant Basin \u2013 a deep section of the eastern Mediterranean<\/a> off the coasts of Israel, Egypt, and Turkey \u2013 is among the world\u2019s most contaminated deep-sea areas.<\/p>\n \u201cWe used trawls to survey the seafloor and we mainly found plastic bags and packaging that dominate the debris,\u201d said Xing-Yu Li from the University of Haifa<\/a>, the study\u2019s lead author.<\/p>\n This raised a question: how does something so light \u2013 something meant to float \u2013 end up nearly a mile underwater?<\/p>\n A forensic approach to trash<\/p>\n To answer that, the team decided to treat each plastic item like a crime scene. Every piece of debris was carefully examined using a method called multi-marker analysis. <\/p>\n This approach looks at everything about the plastic \u2013 size, shape, color, material, surface features, and even what kinds of things are stuck to it, like tar or marine organisms<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the multi-marker approach anything that is found on a piece of plastic is an evidence,\u201d said Xing-yu. \u201cWe extracted as many evidence as possible from every piece of waste, more than many previous studies, to build a fuller, more detailed view of the bottom waste.\u201d<\/p>\n Instead of just counting how much trash was found, this method helped researchers understand how it got there, why it sank, and where it might have come from.<\/p>\n Why some plastic doesn\u2019t sink<\/p>\n Most of the plastics found were polyethylene<\/a> \u2013 the same material used in grocery bags. Normally, this kind of plastic floats. But when additives like calcium carbonate (CaCO\u2083) are mixed in during manufacturing, the plastic becomes heavier. <\/p>\n Those with CaCO\u2083 sank closer to the shore. Others, without these additives, drifted farther out before eventually settling on the seafloor.<\/p>\n The study also revealed that the deep basin at over 3,000 feet deep acts like a trap. Pressure and fine sediments help keep the plastic down. <\/p>\n Biofilms<\/a>, which are slimy layers formed by microbes, usually help weigh plastics down too, but they don\u2019t grow well in this part of the sea. Instead, things like tar, sand, and tiny shells helped plastics stay put.<\/p>\n The scientists noted that these plastic films \u2013 while thin and lightweight \u2013 are ending up where they can do the most long-term damage. <\/p>\n Even more troubling, the team found that some of this plastic could become buoyant again if disturbed, but because of how the deep sea works, that rarely happens. Once the plastic settles, it stays.<\/p>\n Where the trash is coming from<\/p>\n The plastic pollution isn\u2019t only from local beaches. According to the research, land-based sources from Egypt, Israel, and Turkey are a big part of the problem. <\/p>\n Shipping also plays a role, especially in deeper waters. Surprisingly, fishing was not a major contributor \u2013 possibly due to strict Israeli regulations.<\/p>\n For years, scientists noticed high levels of plastic at the seafloor, but they didn\u2019t fully understand why. <\/p>\n \u201cFor years in our monitoring reports we have reported a high concentration of plastic debris in this area. It was an unsolved mystery as we know that plastic debris<\/a> should remain floating on the sea surface. Now we have a deep understanding of how it happens,\u201d said Dr. Yael Segal from Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research (IOLR). <\/p>\n \u201cThe Eastern Mediterranean is the most polluted area in the world, and we must take action for the sake of the next generation.\u201d<\/p>\n Long-term risks to marine life<\/p>\n Plastic packaging<\/a> is cheap, easy to produce, and used globally \u2013 but it doesn\u2019t go away. It breaks into smaller pieces and can remain in the environment for hundreds of years. <\/p>\n Deep-sea habitats are already fragile, and adding plastic into the mix could disrupt food webs, introduce toxins, and harm species that haven\u2019t even been fully studied yet.<\/p>\n \u201cAs the head of the national monitoring program, I see firsthand how plastic pollution is impacting the entire sea environment: beaches, water, sea bottom, and even local turtle populations,\u201d said Dr. Segal.<\/p>\n Professor Revital Bookman said that the discovery is fascinating in the worst possible way. <\/p>\n \u201cThe eastern Mediterranean is quietly turning into a deep-sea landfill. Plastics that we use for only a few minutes are ending up trapped for centuries, threatening deep marine ecosystems we barely understand,\u201d noted Professor Bookman. <\/p>\n What needs to happen next<\/p>\n According to the researchers, this study changes how we should think about ocean pollution. Plastic doesn\u2019t just float around until it hits a beach. It travels far, interacts with other pollutants like tar, and ends up in hidden places. <\/p>\n \u201cThis previously overlooked dynamic necessitates a broader perspective on pollution processes in marine environments,\u201d said Professor Bookman. <\/p>\n \u201cWithout systematic deep-sea accounting, we risk underestimating the true environmental footprint of plastic pollution and misallocating mitigation efforts by neglecting offshore and deep-sea sinks.\u201d<\/p>\n To deal with this, the experts call for coordinated efforts across the region. Countries that share the sea need to work together on monitoring, cleanup, and prevention. <\/p>\n Without a shared strategy, plastics will continue piling up, silently choking one of the planet\u2019s most mysterious ecosystems.<\/p>\n The full study was published in the journal Marine Pollution Bulletin<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u2014\u2013<\/p>\n Like what you read? Subscribe to our newsletter<\/a> for engaging articles, exclusive content, and the latest updates.\u00a0<\/p>\n Check us out on EarthSnap<\/a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls<\/a> and Earth.com.<\/p>\n \u2014\u2013<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Plastic may not always float where we expect it. The ocean\u2019s surface might look clean in some places,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":19034,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[242,85,46,141],"class_list":["post-19033","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-environment","tag-environment","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-science"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19033","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19033"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19033\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19034"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19033"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19033"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19033"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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