Turkish authorization have just sunk an Airbus A300 off the Aegean sea-coast , with two aims in mind : To generate an artificial Witwatersrand pour with maritime animation , and to eventually draw in more divers from overseas to the region so as to boost the country ’s flail tourism industry .
According toThe Guardian , the 54 - measure - prospicient ( 177 - foot - long ) rider sheet , with a wingspan of 44 m ( 144 feet ) , descended into the waters off the seashore of Ku?adas ? in Aydin responsibility . At 36 years of age , its best years were behind it , and Aydin municipality buy it from a secret aviation companionship for around $ 92,600 .
“ Our goal is to make Ku?adas ? a centre of dive touristry , ” Aydin ’s mayor , Özlem Çerçio?lu , said at the 2.5 - time of day sinking event , witness by 100 of excited spectactors . “ Our goal is to protect the submersed life . And with these goals in mind , we have witnessed one of the biggest wrecks in the world . ”
An hokey Rand building up around an underwater pipe . Richard Whitcombe / Shutterstock
The earth ’s coral reef , one of the big drivers of biodiversity within the oceans , are getting hammered by arise ocean temperatures , aim in the first place byman - made climate change . As of this April , the famous Great Barrier Reef was93 percent bleach out , with 50 pct of it already either die or beat .
With Witwatersrand go away all across the reality , it ’s always good to see environmentally - apt groups of people endeavor to reverse this perturbing trend . Every now and then , various boats or superstructure are intentionally sunk into the depths of the ocean . These scamper ships , plane , or evensculpturesprovide hard , elevated surface where alga and aquatic invertebrates – such as barnacle , huitre , and coral – attach themselves . This new reef then becomes a nutrient source for nearby Pisces .
The U.S. Department of the Interior has supervise the Rigs - to - Reefs ( RTR ) broadcast for some time , which involves the practice of convince decommissioned , seaward rock oil hoop into unreal reefs . It ’s a remarkably successful programme with far-flung musical accompaniment : As of 2012,420 former oil platformshave been change over into lasting artificial Witwatersrand .
Artificial reef innovation certainly wo n’t fix the global catastrophe of the coral , but every little helps , and the a la mode project in Turkey is as welcome as any other like it .
