world

Throughout our time as humans living on the Earth, we have only discovered about 5% of the ocean. This leaves 95% of the ocean unexplored, as we are finding new species everyday. Most recently a species unearthed was named Eurythenes Plasticus…… sound familiar?

Eurythenes Plasticus is a new species of arthropod. It is a two inch shrimp-like animal found in the deepest trench on Earth- The Mariana Trench. The Mariana Trench reaches depths up to 36,000 ft as this new arthropod was found at a staggering 20,000 ft- This is crazy deep! Think of it this way: Mount Everest is the tallest mountain in the world reaching heights of 29,028 ft and the Mariana Trench is 36,000 ft!

Now, this discovery is cool and all, but why is this creature named after plastic? Sadly enough, this arthropod was named after plastic was found inside of its guts. Specifically, this plastic is called polyethylene-terephthalate. Polyethylene-terephthalate is a plastic commonly found in clothing, plastic bottles, and plastic food packaging.

The fact that plastic was found in a species 20,000ft deep in the ocean should be extremely alarming to us. In an article in the Earther, Alan Jamieson, the head of research that helped discover this species states, “We decided on the name Eurythenes plasticus as we wanted to highlight the fact that we need to take immediate action to stop the deluge of plastic waste into our oceans.”

If it hasn’t been apparent to you, let us just reiterate: plastic is taking over the world. It’s found everywhere, even 20,000 ft down in the Mariana Trench. If we don’t stop this spread of plastic, it will truly take over everything.

Written by Skylar Griffin

Edited by Sofia Avila

The ocean is the largest ecosystem on Earth! It is extremely important due to the fact that it provides us with food, aids us in balancing our climate, and produces over half of the world’s oxygen. So, how is it possible that we humans continue to use it as our dumping sight- killing over one million animals every year?

This is list of just a few of the animals that are killed by our pollution everyday:

1. Whales and Dolphins

Whales and dolphins often mistake crustaceans, fish, etc for plastic. Whales especially have large mouths, leading to an intake of large amounts of trash unknowingly. In one case a marine expert dissected an already deceased whale to find that it had “88 pounds of plastic waste jammed into its belly.” Most plastics are pretty light in weight, so the fact that there was such a heavy amount in one whale is crazy!

2. Seabirds

One million seabirds are killed by pollution every year. The plastic that is consumed by seabirds can take up almost the entire storage of their stomach, causing extreme starvation. According to the Center of Biodiversity, “It’s estimated that 60 percent of all seabird species have eaten pieces of plastic, with that number predicted to increase to 99 percent by 2050.”

3. Sea Turtles

While turtles are also known to be killed from ingesting plastics, they are widely affected by fishing netting and plastic soda rings. These pollutants become wrapped around the turtles neck and shell making it tough to breath and move around. A way of helping this issue is to make sure to cut your plastic soda rings before you throw it away. While you may be throwing it in a trash bin there is still a possibility of it ending up back in the ocean. Cutting soda rings can aid with other marine life as well.

Whether it’s recycling your own plastics or volunteering for ocean cleanup, just small gestures everyday can help our oceans immensely. When you’re debating on throwing a piece of trash on the ground or waiting for a recycling/trash bin, think back to these animals and how that one piece of trash could affect them.

Written by Skylar Griffin, revised and edited by Kailyn Hayes

Ocean Cleanup

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A New Species Found in 2020 Named After Plastic- Eurythenes Plasticus