Decaying WWII Wrecks Threaten Coral Reefs

Subscriber Content Preview
Only active subscribers can view the whole article here

Thousands of sunken ships from WWII are rusting on the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, many still loaded with fuel. Earthquakes, storm surges, eruptions, or other natural disasters could trigger an environmental catastrophe if oil or aviation fuel gets released.

There was an incident last November when a magnitude 7.0 earthquake rocked the Solomon Islands. Oil soon lapped on Guadalcanal's northwestern shore in an area known as Iron Bottom Sound. Here lie 1,450 airplanes lost in action, together with 111 ships, averaging 2000 feet deep. The region is littered with lost ships, and years of decay are weakening fuel tanks and hulls, potentially releasing thousands of gallons of oil and other pollutants into the sea, damaging reefs....

Subscribers: Read the full article here

---

Get more dive info like these and other important scuba updates sent monthly to your email. And a FREE Recent Issue of Undercurrent
Get a free monthly email and a sample issue!