The wreck of the British merchant ship Thistlegorm, sunk in the Red Sea in October 1941, has turned into a real artificial coral reef that permanently hosts a multitude of marine species: this is demonstrated by the data collected over eight years by tourists divers who have participated as volunteers in the ‘Scuba Tourism for the Environment’ project. The results, useful for the protection of marine biodiversity from climate change, are published in the journal Plos One by researchers from the University of Bologna.
To contribute to the study, tourists who dived to visit the wreck between 2007 and 2014 reported precise information on their activity (such as date, time, duration of the dive, maximum depth reached, temperature) and on the marine species observed among those belonging to the 72 groupings (taxa) indicated by the researchers. As a result, tourists sighted 71 of the 72 taxa, which were present in a stable manner over the eight years of the study despite some minor seasonal fluctuations.
Among the most common marine life forms are soft corals (Dendronephthya), giant moray eels (Gymnothorax javanicus), squirrelfish (Sargocentron), batfish (Platax), clownfish (Amphiprion bicinctus) and Napoleon wrasse (Cheilinus undulatus).
“The ship Thistlegorm – write the researchers – provides a striking example of how artificial coral reefs can support an established community structure similar to that of their natural counterparts”. Scholars believe that artificial coral reefs could ease tourist pressure on natural ones. Furthermore, considering that these wrecks are usually found at greater depths where the water temperature is lower, they could become a refuge for many species threatened by global warming.
Source: Ansa
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