Extremely High Concentrations of Plastic Debris Found in the Deep Mediterranean Sea

According to a study published by the European Union Joint Research Center, 26,715 pieces of garbage per square kilometer were found in the deepest part of the Mediterranean Sea, the deepest part of the Calypso Trench (depths of more than 5 kilometers), where the concentration of plastic debris is one of the highest in the world’s deep-sea environments. The study points out that the Mediterranean Sea, as a semi-enclosed body of water, is particularly vulnerable to plastic pollution due to the high level of maritime traffic (30% of global shipping passes through it) and inadequate waste management. The findings highlight the severity of the impacts of human activities on deep-sea ecosystems and call for increased international cooperation to reduce plastic spills.