Caves: The Hidden Plastic Problem

Even the deepest of areas have been plagued by plastic

- Robin Cuesta

Over the last few years, plastic pollution has become a major issue that has gained a lot of traction across the world. Plastic floating in the Pacific Ocean; a snorkeller swimming in plastic; turtles, sharks, whales in plastic detritus – images of all these things have been popping up on our social media feeds, reminding us of the tragic cost of our wasteful consumerist society. The damage wrought by plastic pollution on ocean life has raised awareness and motivated action. Various global projects and initiatives are trying to working to reduce our plastic consumption and prevent more plastic from entering the ocean.

However, one aspect of the plastic problem has been quite neglected. Less noticeable due to it being underwater, cave pollution, or in other words the pollution of one of our biggest freshwater supplies: underground water.

The sum of all waters on Earth is called the hydrosphere, “is a dynamic mass of water that is continually on the move, evaporating from the oceans to the atmosphere, precipitating to the land, and running back to the ocean again” (Lutgens, Essentials of Geology, 13th Edition, 2017). Our oceans cover around 71 percent of our Earth’s surface and account for about 97.5 percent of Earth’s water (including saline groundwater and lakes). The hydrosphere also includes the freshwater found underground and in streams, lakes, and glaciers, for a total of 2.5 percent of Earth’s water, divided as follows: 1.72 percent in glaciers, 0.03 percent in streams and lakes, and 0.75 percent in groundwater.