Trawling, Mining and Acidification Threaten Submerged Heritage, Studies Warn
A study led by Rory Quinn from Ulster University, published in The International Journal of Nautical Archaeology, reveals that merely 0.2% of the 150,000 shipwrecks documented worldwide are located in protected areas where mining is prohibited. The research indicates that 95% of these wrecks reside in shallower, unprotected waters, making them susceptible to bottom-trawling. Evidence of damage from trawler nets was observed on a merchant ship sunk over 2,000 years ago near Ereğli, Turkey, discovered by E/V Nautilus in 2011. Quinn's team advocates for legal measures to protect wrecks. Additionally, pollution, treasure hunting, and unchecked tourism pose significant threats. In another study, Luigi Germinario from the University of Padua discussed ocean acidification's impact on a marble sculpture from the submerged Roman city of Baiae in Communications Earth & Environment. Meanwhile, Dennis Wilken of Kiel University demonstrated the ability to scan a Baltic wreck in just two hours with modified equipment, as noted in Archaeological Prospection.
Key facts
- A study by Rory Quinn of Ulster University and colleagues compiled some 150,000 shipwreck records alongside fishing-vessel tracking data
- Only 0.2% of wrecks worldwide lie in fully protected areas where mining would be prohibited
- 95% of wrecks are in shallower, unprotected waters vulnerable to bottom-trawling
- The E/V Nautilus found a Black Sea merchant ship in 2011 west of Ereğli, Turkey, sunk more than 2,000 years ago, with amphorae and hull timbers damaged by trawling
- China, the UK and the US have not ratified Unesco's 2001 Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage
- Luigi Germinario of the University of Padua led acidification modelling of a marble sculpture from the sunken Roman city of Baiae over 500 years
- At the most extreme acidity level tested, more than 1cm of the statue's surface vanished, versus virtually no change at pre-industrial levels
- Dennis Wilken of Kiel University and colleagues mapped two hectares of a Baltic wreck in two hours using adapted equipment already carried on research vessels
Entities
Artists
- Rory Quinn
- Luigi Germinario
- Dennis Wilken
Institutions
- Ulster University
- The International Journal of Nautical Archaeology
- Unesco
- University of Padua
- Communications Earth & Environment
- Kiel University
- Archaeological Prospection
- E/V Nautilus
- United Nations
Locations
- Black Sea
- Ereğli
- Turkey
- Northern Ireland
- United Kingdom
- Italy
- Padua
- Germany
- Kiel
- Baiae
- Baltic Sea
- China
- United States