Scientists have discovered high levels of extremely toxic chemicals in the most remote place on earth — the 36,000-foot-deep Mariana Trench in the western Pacific Ocean, according to new research published in the journal Natural Ecology and Evolution.
Marine biologists used fish traps and robotic submarines to collect crustaceans from the trench’s seafloor and then measured the level of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in each specimen.
Scientists have discovered high levels of extremely toxic chemicals in the most remote place on earth — the 36,000-foot-deep Mariana Trench in the western Pacific Ocean, according to new research published in the journal Natural Ecology and Evolution.
Marine biologists used fish traps and robotic submarines to collect crustaceans from the trench’s seafloor and then measured the level of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in each specimen. They found that in the most polluted parts of the trench, crustaceans contained 50 times more POPs than crabs that live in one of China’s most polluted rivers. High levels of pollutants were also found in the Kermadec Trench, which is nearly 33,000 feet deep.
Continue reading at Yale Environment 360
Photo by Wallace Wikimedia Commons
