Researchers found garbage at the deepest spot in the Mediterranean, Oinousses Well. Experts documented plastic bottles, coffee cups, plastic bags, beverage cans, and other debris on the sea floor 5 kilometers below the surface.

According to a report in Greece’s Kathimerini newspaper, a study shows that human intervention reaches even the most remote areas of our planet. Oinousses Well is located in the western part of the Greek trench, about 60 km from the nearest coast (Pylos), in the southwest of the Peloponnese.

Known as the largest “abyssal” (deep sea) environment in the region with water temperatures around 13-14 degrees Celsius near the seabed. The well’s deepest point is at 5,112 meters, spanning 18 km in length and 4 to 7 km in width, making it the deepest point in the entire Mediterranean. IN 2020, IT DIVE DEEPEST. In February 2020, the Caladan Oceanic manned submersible, used by Victor Vescovo and carrying Monaco’s Prince Albert II, plunged to the deepest part of the Oinoussa Well. It took 4-5 hours for the boat to reach the bottom, staying around an hour before beginning ascent. Vescovo spent the time capturing videos, ascending about 850 meters from the bottom. This footage was handed over to an international scientific team led by the European Research Center under the guidance of German George Hanke. The Greek coordinator was George Papatheodorou, a Professor of Geological and Environmental Oceanography at the University of Patras. The team analyzed the video using specialized software to identify, document, and analyze the debris encountered by the submarine on the seafloor. Results were recently published in an international scientific journal. Professor George Papatheodorou stated, “This is the second-highest waste density found this deep (over 2 km) in the world.” Papatheodorou told Kathimerini, “First evidence of solid waste pollution has been recorded at the deepest part of the Mediterranean. The results are disappointing. Trash concentrations in the deep sea environment are among the highest levels ever recorded.” 167 PIECES OF GARBAGE DOCUMENTED. The submersible’s camera documented 167 pieces of garbage in this short area at the depth of 850 meters. When reduced to the well’s area, this number corresponds to a garbage density of 26,175 pieces per square kilometer. Papatheodorou said, “This is the second-highest garbage density found this deep (over 2 km) anywhere in the world.” It should be noted that the highest garbage density at these depths was recorded in two underwater canyons in the South China Sea, with approximately 55,000 pieces per square kilometer. When examining the type of debris recorded, it is mostly plastic (88%). These include ordinary bags from stores, plastic sacks, lidded coffee cups, plastic bottles, and polystyrene cups. The rest consists of beverage cans, glass bottles or jars, paper boxes, and paper bags. The presence of paper waste is seen as an indicator of recent pollution.