Plastic debris documented more than 3,900 meters deep off Ecuador

Researchers writing in Frontiers in Marine Science report finding plastic during 13 submersible dives off Ecuador in February 2024, including bags, food bowls and packaging at depths greater than 3,900 meters. Monitoring at a beach near Salinas collected 152.9 kg of plastic from a fixed 100 m² plot between 2019 and 2025. Similar debris types suggest a connection, the authors say, but the study did not directly trace plastic from the beach to the seafloor.