“Extraordinary levels” of pollution have been found in the Mariana Trench, the deepest part of the Earth’s oceans. Pollutants from the 1970s have accumulated among the crustaceans that live there, contaminating life 11,000 meters below sea level. Pollutants from the 1970s have accumulated among the crustaceans that live there, contaminating life 11,000 meters below sea level. The study, conducted by researchers from the University of Aberdeen and the James Hutton Institute and published in Nature, found that pollution was pervasive and intense within the Mariana and the similarly deep Kermadec Trench. The pollutant in question is called a persistent organic pollutant (POP), organic compounds that do not biodegrade. The environmental devastation these compounds can cause, as they are nearly impossible to remove once they are introduced to an environment, is significant.

Ocean's deepest part filled with toxic pollutants, study reveals. (2017, February 16). Manila Bulletin, p. B9.