Shipwrecks can be viewed as ancient artifacts hidden in the gloom, and there’s an air of romance and mystery about them. We might imagine. Untold treasuresAlthough they are still encased in rusty hulls it is often filled with old fuel, corroded bombs and other toxic waste.
A new study examines the World War II Shipwreck V-1302 John MahnThe Belgian North Sea region found that substances from the wrecked ship still influence the environment’s microbiology, geochemistry, and other factors, 80 years after it was lost to the seafloor.
Considering there are thousands of similar wrecks in the North Sea alone, the cumulative impact on marine life is potentially huge – especially considering the munitions and hazardous materials that are often stored on military vessels.
“We wanted the sediment to be affected by old shipwrecks that were found in our region of the ocean. We wanted to determine if these microbial communities were still being shaped by the area’s shipwrecks.” says microbial ecologist Josefien Van LanduytFrom Ghent University, Belgium. “This is a unique project because it uses microbial analysis.”
The V-1302 John Mahn began life as a German fishing trawler, before becoming a patrolboat during World War II. In 1942, the British Royal Air Force brought it to the Belgian coastline and sunk it. Channel Dash operation.
To determine how far contamination could be spreading, researchers took samples from the steel hull as well as the sediment at 12 different locations close to the wreck.
The concentrations of toxic pollutants around the vessel varied based on their distance. There were signs of heavy metals, like nickel and copper and explosive compounds. Also, there was evidence for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs, which are chemicals that naturally occur in crude oil, gasoline and coal.
These pollutants were more concentrated in the vicinity of ships than it might seem. For example, the closest sample to the ship’s coal bunker had the highest concentrations of metals.
Researchers found that the concentrations had a significant impact on surrounding microbe life. These samples contained the highest concentrations. It was most likely that the hull was corroded and sulfate-reducing organisms were found.
“We don’t often see old shipwrecks and most of us don’t know where they are. But they can still pollute our marine ecosystem.” Van Landuyt.
“In reality, their advancing years might increase the risk of corrosion which opens up previously sealed spaces. Their environmental impact continues to evolve.
The researchers suggest that there’s much more to discover in terms of the influence of shipwrecks on underwater ecosystems – yet another example of how human activity is changing the natural world around us.
Continue to explore the lessons that shipwrecks have for us About the PastHow they are affecting the oceans The present – and the team behind the current study is keen to use the same techniques on other shipwrecks in the area.
“The history of shipwrecks is a major reason that the general public is interested, but it is not often considered to have any environmental consequences.” Van Landuyt.
We only examined one ship at one depth and one location. It would take a lot of shipwrecks to give a good overview of the overall impact of shipwrecks on the North Sea.
The research has been published in Marine Science Frontiers.
