Bacteria in shipwrecks could clean up decades-old ocean pollution
Bacteria in Japanese shipwrecks could naturally clean up decades of ocean pollution from fuel leaks.
Researchers found bacteria in fuel from Japanese shipwrecks in Chuuk Lagoon, Micronesia. The lagoon holds about 200,000 tons of sunken ship debris that has been leaking oil for eight decades, harming fisheries and marine life.
Microbiologist Awei Bainivalu of the University of the South Pacific led the team. They identified 1,505 bacterial species in fuel samples.
Some bacteria, like Ralstonia and Sphingomonas, can break down toxic hydrocarbons. Fuel from the Shinkoku Maru and Kiyosumi Maru contained different types of hydrocarbons.
Bacteria inside the fuel differed from those at the oil-water boundary, suggesting microbes adapt to these extreme environments. The findings could inform bioremediation, a technique using organisms to remove environmental pollution.
- 1,505
- Bacterial species identified
- 200,000 tons
- Debris in Chuuk Lagoon
- Eight decades
- Years of oil leakage
- Awei Bainivalu
- Lead scientist
Why it mattersIf these bacteria are breaking down hydrocarbons, they could offer a natural and cost-effective way to tackle marine pollution from shipwrecks.
AustraliaNo direct Australian effect yet, but Australian scientists and Pacific nations may benefit from bioremediation research if the bacteria prove capable of cleaning up similar wreck sites across the Pacific region.
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