Humans are dumping far more litter in the ocean than was once thought.

Kyra Schlining at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute in Moss Landing, California, and her team used a database of characterized observations from 22 years of research-submersible missions in Monterey Bay to identify anthropogenic marine debris. The litter was seen in 1.49% of the surveyed area, was mainly metal and plastic, ranged in type and depth from a PVC pipe at 25 metres to a plastic bag at 3,971 metres, and was especially prevalent around the submarine Monterey Canyon. Most of the metal and plastic debris was seen below depths of 2,000 metres, suggesting that earlier studies may have underestimated the impact of detritus on deep regions, which are generally poorly observed. Submarine canyons may have trapped and funnelled the debris to depth, the authors suggest.

Deep-Sea Res. I http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr.2013.05.006 (2013)