Australia’s national science agency has found that there are about 14 million tons of small plastic pieces on the ocean floor. The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (Csiro) published a world-first global estimate for the extent of micro plastic pollution in the deep ocean. By analyzing samples collected by a robotic submarine from remote sites off Australia’s southern coast, they found that the ocean floor is twice as polluted as the surface. The amount of micro plastics detected was 25 times higher than previous deep-sea studies.

14M tons of trash stuck in ocean floor - study. (2020, October 10). The Manila Times, p. B9.