Global scientists map 200,000+ radioactive barrels dumped in Atlantic Ocean
A global team of scientists is on a mission to find and map more than 200,000 barrels of radioactive waste that were dumped deep in the Atlantic Ocean in the second half of the 20th century (beginning in 1946, with notable dumping in 1967 and 1969), long before such dumping was banned.
Using underwater robots, they're trying to figure out where these barrels ended up and what effect they might be having on ocean life today.
NODSSUM's UlyX finds thousands of barrels
The project, called NODSSUM, uses an autonomous vehicle named UlyX to scan the ocean floor.
Early findings show thousands of barrels spread over a huge area. Some are even buried or covered with sea creatures.
The team is checking for leaks and studying how decades underwater may have damaged the containers or affected marine ecosystems.
No immediate radiation risks have been found yet, but this research could reveal a lot about how nuclear waste behaves in extreme conditions.