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California's undersea toxic dumpsites are warping ocean life [1]
['Jason Weisberger']
Date: 2025-09-09
Undersea mapping projects uncovered forty years of toxic waste dumping directly into the Pacific off the coast of Southern California. A recent Scripps study shows some of those barrels are altering the chemistry and biological makeup in the areas surrounding leaks. Many of the barrels are believed to contain DDT.
" We've created these naturally occurring extremophile environments in these little patches in the ocean wherever these barrels landed that had the caustic waste," said Paul Jensen, professor of microbiology at Scripps and co-author of the study. When researchers tested pieces of the concrete-looking stuff, they discovered it was brucite, or magnesium hydroxide, and that the white halos are calcium carbonate, both of which form in high-pH environments. They estimate it could take thousands of years for these changes to resolve. LAist
The leaks have created high-pH environments around the barrels, and, interestingly, alkalophilic bacteria have found a new home. Areas not far from the leaked waste return to normal pH levels and have more commonly found colonies of bacteria. What happens when the barrels disintegrate entirely remains to be seen.
Previously:
• Somali pirates versus European toxic-waste dumpers
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