Abandoned WWII Shipwreck Has Altered The Ocean's Microbiology For 80 Years

When seen as ancient artifacts hiding in the gloom, there's a certain romanticism associated with wrecks. It's often a mess of old fuel, bombs, and toxic waste when we think of it as a hidden treasure.

Some 80 years after the ship sank to the sea floor in the Belgian part of the North Sea, there are still substances leaking from it.

There are thousands of wrecks in the North Sea alone and the cumulative impact on marine life could be huge.

"We wanted to see if old shipwrecks in our part of the sea were still shaping the local microbial communities and if they were still affecting the surrounding silt," said Van Landuyt. The analysis is unique.

After being converted into a patrol boat during the war, the V-1302 was used as a fishing vessel. The British Royal Air Force sunk it as part of the Channel Dash operation.

Researchers took samples of the steel hull and the silt at different points around the wreck to see how far away it was from it.

Heavy metals like nickel and copper were found around the vessel, as well as arsenic, explosive compounds, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons or PAHs.

Concentrations of pollutants went up with close proximity to the ship. The sample closest to the coal Bunker had the highest metal concentrations.

The researchers found that these concentrations affect the life around them. Microbes known to degrade PAHs were found in the samples that had the highest levels of pollutants. Sulfate-reducingbacteria were found on the hull.

"Although we don't see these old wrecks, and many of us don't know where they are, they can still be harmful to our marine environment."

They might increase the environmental risk due to the fact that they're getting older. Their impact on the environment is evolving.

Another example of how human activity is changing the natural world around us is being suggested by the researchers.

The potential environmental impact of these wrecks is often overlooked by the general public.

One ship was investigated in one location. A large number of shipwrecks in various locations would have to be examined in order to get a better idea of the total impact of the wrecks.

It has been published in a journal.