Plastic Bag Found at Deepest Point in Ocean: Fact Check

Story:

A ‘Plastic bag’ was found at deepest point on Earth inside Ocean, at a depth of 10,975 meters inside the Mariana Trench.
We Should Be Ashamed 🙁

Other Versions

Plastic Bag Found at Deepest Point in Ocean.

Fact Check:

A picture message doing rounds on social media alleges to show a ‘Plastic bag’ found at deepest point on Earth, at a depth of 10,975 meters inside the Mariana Trench. Yes, it is a fact with some missing information and rightly a matter of shame.

Image showing Mariana Trench — Mariana Trench

About the Plastic Bag Inside Deepest Ocean, Mariana Trench

The Mariana Trench is located in the western Pacific Ocean, about 200 kilometers east of the Mariana Islands. It is the deepest oceanic trench on Earth. The accompanying image with story is in fact an old one from 20th May 1998 pictured by JAMSTEC (Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology). It shows several inconspicuous pieces of plastic bag/sheet. The fragmented remains of a carrier bag sunk to the bottom of the world and rested at the bottom of the Mariana Trench at 10,898m below the surface. However, it was not the first and only time explorers dived deepest into the trench and found plastic waste.

Image of Plastic trash deep inside Ocean — Plastic trash deep inside Ocean

Swiss engineer Jacques Piccard and U.S. Navy Lieutenant Don Walsh were the first to dive inside the Mariana Trench in 1960. In 2012, National Geographic explorer and movie director James Cameron made a dive to the depths. In late April 2019, Dallas businessman and underwater explorer Victor Vescovo also claimed to have found a plastic bag and sweet wrappers. He drove 10,927m (35,849ft) deep beneath the waves reaching the bottom of the Mariana Trench. However, according to a study published in October 2018, the deepest known piece of plastic is the one pictured by JAMSTEC. You can watch the video of the plastic finding on their website jamstec.go.jp.

Concerns of Plastic in Ocean Waters

It is definitely alarming to see plastic lying at bottom of the deepest oceanic trench on Earth. Plastic pollution is prevalent worldwide and has been increasing over the years. Plastic bags in particular make up the greatest source of plastic trash in ocean waters. Most often, the plastic trash interact with some kind of marine life, like animals becoming entangled in the debris. More importantly, marine animals often mistake the plastic items for food and endanger their life. Likewise, random garbage is killing whales and many other marine species. Plastic trash congregating in giant, floating patches in and over ocean waters also transform dreamy islands into nightmares.

Image of Marine animals feeding on plastic — Marine animals feeding on plastic

The reasons behind the plastic pollution are resource exploitation and industrial development. A study published in 2017 found that most of the plastic flowing into the sea is from 10 rivers that run through heavily populated human regions. Single-use plastic is virtually everywhere, and they usually take hundreds of years to break down after they get into the wild. One way to stop/reduce the pollution is to regulate the production of single-use plastic. It is also important to prevent the flow of the dangerous debris from our coastlines.