Scientists Unexpectedly Discover an Intact Beer Bottle Beneath the Challenger Deep in the Pacific Ocean.
The discovery by oceanographer Dr. Dawn Wright at the Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench highlights the alarming impact of human activity on Earth. The Challenger Deep, located at a depth of 10,780 meters below sea level, is the deepest point on the planet. It also experiences extreme pressure exceeding 123.6 Newtons/mm2, enough to crush a human, according to Tech Times.
Beer bottle at the bottom of the Challenger Deep. (Photo: Deep Sea Dawn).
During a research expedition in 2022, Dr. Wright encountered a green beer bottle stuck in the sandy floor of the Challenger Deep. Furthermore, the label on the bottle remained intact. “This type of waste has reached one of the cleanest places on Earth. It symbolizes the profound and irreversible impact of humans on the natural world,” Dr. Wright emphasized.
The discovery raises numerous questions about how the beer bottle could withstand such immense pressure at the ocean’s depths. Some speculate that since the bottle was not sealed, water may have entered and balanced the pressure inside.
While the exact origin of the beer bottle remains a mystery, its existence serves as a reminder of the ocean pollution issue. According to UNESCO, plastic waste accounts for 80% of marine pollution, with millions of tons entering the oceans each year. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) states that all plastic waste ever produced still exists in some form, and the degradation process can last hundreds of years.
A recent case study further underscores the severity of the plastic waste problem. Brazilian geologist Fernanda Avelar Santos discovered plastic rock on Trindade Island in the South Atlantic in March 2023. While researching her thesis, Santos found plastic materials intermixed with rock on Turtle Beach, the world’s largest nesting site for hawksbill turtles.
