The remains of the British merchant ship Thistlegorm, which sank in the Red Sea in
October 1941
, have been transformed into a
veritable artificial coral reef
that is permanently home to a multitude of marine species.
The remains of the British merchant ship Thistlegorm, which sank in the Red Sea in October 1941 (Egypt exclusive).
This is demonstrated by the data collected over eight years by diving tourists who participated as volunteers in the
"Scuba Tourism for the Environment" project.
The ship is permanently home to a multitude of marine species (Egypt exclusive).
The results, useful for the protection of marine biodiversity against climate change, were published in the journal
Plos One
by researchers from the University of Bologna (Italy).
A refuge for marine species
To contribute to the study, the tourists who made the dives to visit the wreck between 2007 and 2014 offered precise indications about their activity (such as date, time, duration of the dive, maximum depth reached and temperature) and the marine species observed among those belonging to the wreck. to
72 clusters
indicated by the researchers.
The remains of the ship were transformed into a true artificial coral reef (Egypt exclusive).
"The Thistlegorm ship offers a clear example of how artificial coral reefs can maintain a consolidated community structure similar to that of natural ones," say the researchers, who point out that these wrecks, or remains, which are normally found at great depths, where the water temperature is lower, they could become
refuges for many species threatened
by global warming.
ANSA Agency.
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