Challenger Deep: The deepest spot in the ocean  

Have you ever taken an underwater trip? Got on those scuba diving mentored sessions? If you have, we are sure you were amazed at what you saw there. Green corals with all kinds of fish, big and small surrounding you, it is a different world altogether.  

But do you know how deep under the water can you go? What is the deepest point, say in an ocean? Has anyone been able to reach there yet? What lurks at the bottom of the ocean? Is there any life there? We are sure you would want the answers to all these intriguing questions once you start thinking! Well, to answer some of the above, the deepest point of the ocean is called the Challenger Deep and yes, there is some life there according to the research done till now.  

Challenger Deep: How was it discovered? 
So, the deepest part of the ocean is located at approximately 10,935 metres or 35,876 feet deep. And it is called the Challenger Deep. This is a part of the Mariana Trench, the deepest oceanic trench on Earth. But why Challenger Deep? Well, it is named after the British navy corvette (a small warship) HMS Challenger, whose crew first sounded the depths of the trench in 1875. How very adventurous and brave, we can only imagine! 

If you want to locate this place on the map, it is right beneath the western Pacific Ocean at the southern end of the Mariana Trench, a crescent-shaped trench that runs about 2,550 km southwest of the US territorial island of Guam.  

But is this the standard depth of the ocean? Are all oceans this much deep? The answer is no. The average depth of the ocean is only about 3,688 metres and the depth can differ at various points.  

Who or what lives there? 
Now, if you compare Challenger’s Depth of over 10,000 metres, the obvious question is what lurks there. Do such depths in oceans even support life? There have been many expeditions to find that since its discovery. You would be surprised to know that yes, there are many sea organisms that thrive within the trench. For one, microbial life forms are plenty.  

Also, large creatures have been observed living at the bottom, the examples being a flatfish about 12 inches long, shrimps, gigantic single-celled foraminiferans with a size of more than 4 inches, etc. Snailfish and huge amphipods, known as ‘supergiants’ were also discovered apart from several new species in the recent missions to the trench. It is believed that creatures grow larger at such great depths than their shallow water relatives, a process called ‘deep sea gigantism’.   

Has pollution reached such depths yet? 
Researchers have found that even at such depths, you can find pieces of plastics and other synthetic materials. Plastic bags and candy wrappers have also been discovered at the bottom of the trench. Scientists say that all amphipods have ingested at least one piece of synthetic material even close to ocean floors.