A shirt and a can at 3,000 meters depth in the Atlantic
Recent news from the expedition of the Schmidt Ocean Institute research vessel left me pensive. On June 13, the team found a shirt at about 3,000 meters depth in the Atlantic Ocean, roughly 1,700 km off the Brazilian coast.
The goal of the voyage was to study fault zones along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, one of the most remote environments on the planet. The scientists expected to find an unexplored environment, but instead they came across human trash. The debris was collected with an ROV, a remotely operated vehicle, and the expedition also used an AUV, an autonomous underwater vehicle.
Researcher Ronaldo Christofoletti of Unifesp, who was on board, said they found "a shirt and a drink can" in a place that may be one of the last untouched parts of the planet. For me, that sentence sums it all up.
I tend to think of the deep sea as the last truly wild territory. Knowing that the marks of our presence have reached that far from any coast is an uncomfortable reminder. At the same time, I am glad that there are expeditions able to get there and show us this with images, rather than leaving the matter to speculation.
Source: CNN Brasil
The goal of the voyage was to study fault zones along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, one of the most remote environments on the planet. The scientists expected to find an unexplored environment, but instead they came across human trash. The debris was collected with an ROV, a remotely operated vehicle, and the expedition also used an AUV, an autonomous underwater vehicle.
Researcher Ronaldo Christofoletti of Unifesp, who was on board, said they found "a shirt and a drink can" in a place that may be one of the last untouched parts of the planet. For me, that sentence sums it all up.
I tend to think of the deep sea as the last truly wild territory. Knowing that the marks of our presence have reached that far from any coast is an uncomfortable reminder. At the same time, I am glad that there are expeditions able to get there and show us this with images, rather than leaving the matter to speculation.
Source: CNN Brasil
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