The Need for a Proactive Approach to Underwater Threats

Remote identification of a shipwreck site from MBES backscatter

“…Empirical studies show that a mean value of general corrosion rate of 0.05e0.10 mm per year can be assumed (e.g., Phull et al, 1997;Schumacher, 1979). However, the structure of a shipwreck may collapse long before the walls are fully corroded due to structural weakening (Basta and Kennedy, 2004;Melchers, 2005). Thus, it is probable that the wrecks sunk during World War II (WWII) could release their pollutants in increasing numbers during the next two decades; evidence of WWII shipwreck-derived hydrocarbon pollution has already been seen (Monfils, 2005).…”