Ships unconsidered consequences of climate change

 Two leading experts have spoken on Potential risks from shipwrecks Owing to structural decoration, which can be accelerated by climate change.

The rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels is causing an increase in both temperature and acidity of the sea.

More than 10,000 shipwrecks lie dotted around the coast of the UK Britain. Each of these is exposed to warmer water and higher acidity. They are exposed to the changing ecology that are a consequence of climate change. Those same Environmental changes.

The structure material cargo and fuel status of many of the shipwrecks is unknown. Those that are made from wood timber vessels that are made from timber those vessels that are timber built Maybe vulnerable to Increase in boring animals. Those that are made from steel might rust and corrode more quickly. structures might break down more rapidly. There is a possibility that masts will collapse and damage the hull beneath. These potential breaches of the integrity of each vessel Means it cargo and fuel might escaping to the ocean.

Many time as I sailed between Essex, Kent and Suffolk I passed the Masts of HMS Montgomery. Erupting through the surface of the ocean history estuary Hauntingly Which hauntingly erupt through the surface of the estuary Hinting at what lies beneath. More For boarding foreboding informatively a large area around the three masts is Boyd buoyed off To prevent accidental stray craft into the vicinity of the sunken ship. This is because the ship sank with 1400 tons of explosives on board. Should these Explode a tile wave Would flood the local area and travel up the river Thames towards the 40-year-old title barrier.

Safety works to remove the masks Was planned When a survey discovered 18 metallic objects in the vicinity  of the ship. This work has now been delayed And his plan for 2025.

Department for Transport (DfT) spokesperson said: "Our priority will always be to ensure the safety of the public and reduce any risk posed by the SS Richard Montgomery.

The ship which grounded on a sandbank near Sheerness, Kent in World War Two is decaying.

Professor David Alexander, from University College London, is an expert in risk and disaster reduction and has studied the SS Richard Montgomery in detail.

He said: "You'd certainly need enormous care because the structure of the ship is disintegrating at an accelerated rate.

Speaking on the impact of climate change and ocean certification on shipwrecks metal stretches and ecology 

If they suddenly collapse because they've undergone really bad structural degradation, you could have the equivalent of a small oil tanker running aground in terms of the release of oil."

Dr Julian Whitewright, senior maritime investigator 

Look for boarding masters of the SS Montgomery Viewed From a sailing vessel as it approaches the Kent coast.

The SS Richard Montgomery is a famous shipwreck in the Thames Estuary, located on the east coast of the UK. It's protected under the Protection of Wrecks Act 1973, and is closely monitored by the MCA. The wreck is surveyed regularly using multibeam sonar technology.

One of the reasons that the explosives have not been removed was the unfortunate outcome of a similar operation in July 1967, to neutralize the contents of the Polishcargo ship Kielce, that sank in 1946, off Folkestone in the English Channel. During preliminary work, Kielce exploded with a force equivalent to an earthquakemeasuring 4.5 on the Richter scale, digging a 20-foot-deep (6 m) crater in the seabed and bringing "panic and chaos" to Folkestone, although there were no injuries.^{[5]: 2000 survey, p21–22} Kielce was at least 3 or 4 miles (4.8 or 6.4 km) from land, had sunk in deeper water than Richard Montgomery, and had "just a fraction" of the load of explosives.^[10] According to a BBC News report in 1970,^[12] it was determined that if the wreck of Richard Montgomery exploded, it would throw a 300 metres (980 feet)-wide column of water and debris nearly 3,000 metres (9,800 feet) into the air and generate a wave 5 metres (16 feet) high

An investigation by New Scientist magazine in 2004, based partly on government documents released in 2004, concluded that the cargo was still deadly, and could be detonated by a collision, an attack, or even shifting of the cargo in the tide. The deterioration of the bombs is so severe that they could explode spontaneously.^[15]

Surveys undertaken in 2008 and 2009 by the MCA, showed that the ship was continuing to deteriorate structurally, with accelerated deterioration in some areas and new cracks appearing in the bow section of the wreck.^[17] The report states that "Whilst significant structural collapse does not appear to be imminent, surveys suggest that this prospect is getting closer."^{[5]: 2008 & 2009 surveys} 

Guardian of published an article on deterioration of shipwrecks owing to the consequences of climate change ecological and temperature and pH. This article focuses on Welsh shipwrecked, There is one shipwreck in particular on the coast of the UK, which it brings to mind for me as a sailor of the Thames estuary. I have often sailed past the three for boding masts of the SS Montgomery. This ship sank in 1944 together with 1400 tons of explosive. They have never been removed or made safe. Recent surveys show accelerating deterioration of the structure To the point where plans are made to remove the masts in order to prevent them falling into the hull and so damaging it, With potentially disastrous consequences. That work has now been delayed. 

There are echoes of the warnings from the report and reporting of the consequences of climate change on shipwrecks in general. For example, the impact of climate change on tidal flows. And specifically the SS will Montgomery cargo of explosives is reported to be vulnerable to a change in tidal flow.

The SS Montgomery Just off the coast In a grave so shallow that her masks are clearly visible above the water. She carries 1400 tons of explosive. All of which is still on board. I have been fascinated by her for 30 years as I frequently sailed the waters of the Thames from Essex to Kent to Suffolk. Always I feel unsettled when I pass her forboding masts buoyed off by stark, yellow boys marking the exclusion zone. This zone is necessary because a collision could trigger explosion of the cargo and the devastation so close to homes schools businesses and indeed the capital itself would be Significant. It is now reported that the very conditions which might trigger sufficient unsettling of the cargo for an explosive event are manifesting. And yet work Remove the masks and an effort to make the rec safe has again been delayed.

The Leonard Professor does not appear to have been heed. Like all disaster movies it starts with a scientist  not being listened to.