Do sunken ships help or harm marine life? - What in the World podcast, BBC World Service

Описание: An enormous 50-year-old ocean liner, the SS United States, is set to be sunk and become the world’s biggest artificial reef, off the coast of Florida in the US.

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The area already has over 500 artificial reefs. These are manmade structures that may mimic some of the characteristics of a natural reef. The people behind it say it’ll improve biodiversity, local tourism and fishing.

And it’s not just old ships: people have sunk oil rigs and subway carriages. They don’t always have a positive effect. In the 1970s, two million tyres were dropped into the ocean to try to create an artificial reef (also off the coast of Florida), but they released lots of toxins.

Climate and science reporter Georgina Rannard explains how ships like this get turned into artificial reefs and whether old ships are good for marine life. We talk about other kinds of artificial reefs and ask what benefits they can have for our oceans.

00:00 Intro
00:37 Why is the SS United States being sunk?
02:09 How would the ship turn into an artificial reef?
03:03 Encouraging oceanic wildlife to colonise
04:17 Might the ship's materials pollute the ocean?
05:04 Are artificial reefs just an easy disposal method for derelict things?
06:11 Does the ocean bed already have too many things sitting on it?
07:10 What is the best way to intentionally sink a ship?
08:31 What other types of artificial reefs are there?
10:08 Have these artificial reefs have actually helped oceanic wildlife?
12:22 Diverting tourism away from natural reefs to help the environment
13:04 Outro

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