The problem is underwater too


The first news I had about the devastation the tsunami caused in the underwater habitat was just one day after the tsunami when a TV station interviewed one Spanish survivor in his hospital bed at Phuket. He works, or used to work before the quake, as a scubba teacher at Khao Lak and he pointed out that the NGO's should also keep an eye to the damage the tsunami caused to the coral reefs that surround the coasts of the countries afected by the disaster as they where the mean of life of the inhabitants of these areas, either tourist or fishery dependant.

I must say that I stored it in some hidden place of my head and didn't think about it until Prentiss said something about it in his comment.

I have researched a bit more into the subject and have found what I expected, the studies say that the devastation caused to the underwater marine life can affect near shore fishery for decades, just the time the ocean floors will take to recover from the damage received and the diseases a massive alteration bring to an ecosystem.

According to this article it seems that the natural underwater walls coral reefs are have saved thousands of lives. Just another reason that should make us give a bit of our time to recover the lost underwater habitat.

More news: here

Note: As the ocean floor has changed significantly, global maps like sediment thickness or some maritime routes as several naval channels have completely changed.

Note2: I just heard a UNESCO report on the radio advising that some Han and Tang dinasty wreckages might have been lost or severely damaged. It's bad news for archeology too then.

[Escuchando: I wanna be your dog - Sid Vicious - Vive le Rock Live (3:10)]