The legacy and reach of anthropogenic influence is most clearly evidenced by its impact on the most 12 remote and inaccessible habitats on Earth. Here we identify extraordinary levels of persistent 13 organic pollutants in the endemic amphipod fauna from two of the deepest ocean trenches (>10,000 14 metres). Contaminant levels were considerably higher than documented for nearby regions of 15 heavy industrialisation, indicating bioaccumulation of anthropogenic contamination and inferring 16 that these pollutants are pervasive across the World's oceans and to full ocean depth. 17The oceans comprise the largest biome on the planet with the deep ocean operating as a potential 18 sink for the pollutants and litter that are discarded into the seas

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