La plastica sommerge le spiagge, fluttua nelle acque. Ma nessuno si aspettava che fosse arrivata fino agli abissi: la Fossa delle Marianne, a una profondità di quasi 11'000 metri nell’Oceano Pacifico, il punto più estremo del globo terreste.
L’inquietante scoperta è stata fatta dall’esploratore americano Victor Vescovo, durante la quarta missione del progetto The Five Deeps Expedition. In precedenza si era immerso nella Fossa di Giava, nel South Sandwich Trench nell'Antartico, nella Fossa di Porto Rico nell'Atlantico e ad agosto lo farà nel Molloy Deep nell'Artico.
A bordo del suo sommergibile, il miliardario si è calato fino a stabilire un nuovo primato: 10'927 metri. È rimasto sul fondale per 4 ore. Nelle immagini non si vedono solo involucri di caramelle e una busta di plastica, ma anche tre probabili nuove specie di crostacei anfipodi e altre creature che gli scienziati analizzeranno.
L’intento è di capire se anche a quella profondità i loro intestini contengano microplastiche oppure no.
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