Shelling of oil tankers in Black Sea threatens flora and fauna, biologist says

"We know about the shelling of tankers in the waters of Ukraine, and I also saw on the fire map that a similar event could have happened in the open sea in the waters of Romania, which was not reported in the mass media. There may be several such tankers, and if they are damaged, there may be large spills," the scientist reports.

The leading researcher of Schmalhausen Institute of Zoology Pavlo Holdin explained to Rubryka how hostilities influence the Black Sea's biome. According to him, the damage from diesel fuel entering water is no less than from crude oil spills, although the consequences of both products are similar.

As Pavlo Holdin explained, the oil covers the water layer with a thin film that blocks oxygen access to the water. As a result, algae don't receive enough light to produce oxygen, and fish and fry die, which live and feed almost on the sea's surface. First, it harms tiny organisms and plankton that float in the water. It can also lead to the death of fish, and harm oil spills and birds, which suffer by falling into "oil stains." The same goes with the diesel fuel:

"It is a heavy fraction, so diesel tends to settle to the bottom. The speed of its distribution in the water changes depending on the season. Now it's summer, it's hot, and diesel will settle slowly and at the same time spread in the water," Pavlo Holdin explained to Rubryka.

Read more in Rubryka's article dedicated to the war and the sea.