While there is now an established recognition of microplastic pollution in the oceans, and the detrimental effects this may have on marine animals, the ocean depth at which such contamination is ingested by organisms has still not been established. Here, we detect the presence of ingested microplastics in the hindguts of Lysianassoidea amphipod populations, in six deep ocean trenches from around the Pacific Rim (Japan, Izu-Bonin, Mariana, Kermadec, New Hebrides and the Peru-Chile trenches), at depths ranging from 7000 m to 10 890 m. This illustrates that microplastic contaminants occur in the very deepest reaches of the oceans. Over 72% of individuals examined (65 of 90) contained at least one microparticle. The number of microparticles ingested per individual across all trenches ranged from 1 to 8. The mean and standard error of microparticles varied per trench, from 0.9 ± 0.4 (New Hebrides Trench) to 3.3 ± 0.7 (Mariana Trench). A subsample of microfibres and fragments analysed using FTIR were found to be a collection of plastic and synthetic materials (Nylon, polyethylene, polyamide, polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinylchloride, often with inorganic filler material), semi-synthetic (rayon and lyocell) and natural fibre (ramie). Notwithstanding, this study reports the deepest record of microplastic ingestion, indicating that anthropogenic debris is bioavailable to organisms at some of the deepest locations in the Earth's oceans.

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The recovery of the confined aquatic disposal (CAD) facility located at Malmøykalven in Oslofjord, Norway, has been assessed using an array of field measurement techniques. These methods were used prior to the disposal of dredged sediments as well as during 3 annual postdisposal monitoring campaigns. Traditional sampling to assess chemical recovery indicates that an immediate reduction in total sediment concentrations and surface sediments can be characterized as having good quality. Deposition of new material indicates that the quality of depositing material at the CAD is stabile and representative of the natural background quality in the area. Continued deposition of this material will improve the long-term chemical recovery of the CAD. A positive biological recovery of the benthic community has been observed and is expected to continue along a typical benthic succession pattern. To supplement traditional sampling, passive samplers were deployed at the CAD. Results suggest that the flux and concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon 16 and polychlorinated biphenyl 7 released from the CAD will continue to decrease over time. The combined results from these multiple lines of evidence indicate that the CAD and capping layer function as predicted 3 yr after the construction was completed. There is not only an improvement in the efficacy of the CAD itself but also a general improvement of the area, compared with the situation prior to disposal. Environ Toxicol Chem 2017;36:2552-2559. © 2017 SETAC.