17/08/2024 Isole Salomone (Solomon Islands)
“If you ever come across anything suspicious like this item, please do not pick it up, contact your local law and/or enforcement agency for assistance”.
So many Second World War ships and planes were sunk around Savo Island in months of conflict between the US and Japan, that this stretch of the Pacific Ocean earned the new name Iron Bottom Sound. Decades later, the wrecks remain and so do their contents and cargos, including toxic chemicals from ammunition, explosives, and fuel. As they corrode and leak in the deep waters off this part of the Solomon Islands archipelago, chemicals such as heavy metals and hydrocarbons leach into the marine environment. These possess possible risks to the surrounding ecosystems and perhaps even human health. Iron Bottom Sound is just one example of a growing global problem. From Hawaii to the Baltic Sea, researchers are working against the clock to understand the risk to the marine environment posed by these legacy munitions – and what should be done about them. Many were put into the ocean deliberately, to dispose of unused stocks at the end of conflicts. “They have been dumping munitions in the ocean for a long time,” says Margo Edwards, director of the Applied Research Laboratory at the University of Hawaii, who has studied the problem. There these weapons have largely lain undisturbed for almost a century, but fishing and other marine activities such as offshore wind power are now increasingly intruding on the sites. And as the munitions corrode, the risk of environmental contamination grows year by year. “It’s kind of our modern life expanding into a decision that was made back in the 1940s, and even prior to that, that’s causing this conflict,” says Edwards.
Source: maritime-executive.com
If you find anything that appears to be an explosive device, do not touch it, leave it where it is and call the police. We will contact the appropriate agencies to properly dispose of the item.
Dear editors, Biography of a bomb is aimed at highlighting the danger caused by unexploded bombs. Moreover, the most important aspect is that we work completely non profit, what drives us is raising awerness about this topic. We make use of your pictures and articles, but we need them to put a context in how findings are done. We trust in your understanding. We will (and we always do) cite the source and the author. We thank you for your comprehension.
