09/10/2026
Marine canyons boast incredible biodiversity. They are also filling up with trash.
Since 2012, WHOI researcher Taylor Heyl has documented this growing problem in Atlantic canyons between Canada and the Gulf of Mexico. Using imagery from human-occupied submersibles, remotely operated vehicles, and towed camera systems, Heyl and partners at NOAA and Florida State University found debris in 80% of the canyons they reviewed.
About 69% of this trash ended up in canyons, which can be over two miles deep. It turns out that the same currents that funnel nutrients into these deep-sea chasms also transport everything from derelict fishing gear to porcelain toilets—and of course, plastics.
As the first comprehensive study of benthic debris along the Atlantic continental margin, this research demonstrates how our actions on land can impact seemingly distant ecosystems.
Illustration by WHOI Creative
