Amid Europe’s historic drought, falling water levels have revealed a dangerous and potentially explosive site in the Danube River.
The Danube River stretches over 1,700 miles across Western Europe, passing through 10 countries before emptying into the Black Sea.
Scattered along one stretch of the river — a stretch near Prahovo, Serbia, on the border with Romania — is a “vast graveyard of shipwrecks” deliberately sunk by retreating Nazi German forces at the end of World War II, according to the Danube Region Strategy.
No one knows exactly how many shipwrecks are in the area, but at least 23 sunken ships are blocking river traffic, the regional authority said.
Sunken warships still contain explosive materials, writes Gordana Karović in the book, The Danube in Serbia. The quantity and exact location of these hazardous materials inside the ships remains unknown, Karowitz writes.
The collision of a passing ship hitting a sunken warship could cause an explosion, the strategy for the Danube region explained. This concern intensifies in “periods of low water consumption”. said the river authority.
The river is currently experiencing such a low water period, pictures from Reuters showed on August 18.
Water levels in the Danube River have fallen to their lowest levels in “almost a century”, exposing the remains of World War II shipwrecks, Reuters reported.
However, this year’s drought – seen by scientists as a consequence of global warming – has exposed more than 20 vessels in a stretch of the Danube near Prahovo in eastern Serbia, many of which still contain tons of ammunition and explosives and are risk to shipping. 3/5 pic.twitter.com/QoXHMKBre0
— Reuters (@Reuters) August 19, 2022
In Serbia, the Danube’s water level has dropped to less than half its usual August depth – no more than waist-high for nearly half its width, Reuters reported this week.
Danube water levels have been described as “critically low”, the European Times reported. Some areas have recorded water levels below sea level “for nearly a month,” according to the agency.
Europe’s current drought – exacerbated by human-induced climate change and on track to be the worst in 500 years – has shrunk waterways across the region. Italy’s Pa River fell to its lowest water levels in 70 years, Bloomberg reported. Spain’s reservoir has shrunk to reveal a ‘megalithic monument’ and Germany’s Elbe River has dried up enough to expose dire warnings of centuries-old ‘hunger stones’.
About 47% of Europe is under a drought warning and another 17% under drought alert conditions, according to the European Drought Observatory.
The heatwave and several months without significant rainfall have “restored Europe’s main waterways and are increasingly overheating,” the Guardian reported on August 13.
Serbia, Bulgaria and Romania have begun dredging the Danube in an effort to maintain the waterway for ships, Bloomberg reported on August 10.
Conditions are not expected to improve soon, but the European Drought Monitor told Sky News earlier this month that, “we have assessed a worsening of the situation across most of Europe”.
Prahovo is located about 150 miles east of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia.
Aspen Pflughoeft covers real-time news for McClatchy. He is a graduate of Minerva University where he studied communications, history and international politics. Previously, it was reported in the Deseret News.
title: “Shipwrecks Emerge From The Danube River In Europe S Drought Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-06” author: “Marian Scheele”
Amid Europe’s historic drought, falling water levels have revealed a dangerous and potentially explosive site in the Danube River.
The Danube River stretches over 1,700 miles across Western Europe, passing through 10 countries before emptying into the Black Sea.
Scattered along one stretch of the river — a stretch near Prahovo, Serbia, on the border with Romania — is a “vast graveyard of shipwrecks” deliberately sunk by retreating Nazi German forces at the end of World War II, according to the Danube Region Strategy.
No one knows exactly how many shipwrecks are in the area, but at least 23 sunken ships are blocking river traffic, the regional authority said.
Sunken warships still contain explosive materials, writes Gordana Karović in the book, The Danube in Serbia. The quantity and exact location of these hazardous materials inside the ships remains unknown, Karowitz writes.
The collision of a passing ship hitting a sunken warship could cause an explosion, the strategy for the Danube region explained. This concern intensifies in “periods of low water consumption”. said the river authority.
The river is currently experiencing such a low water period, pictures from Reuters showed on August 18.
Water levels in the Danube River have fallen to their lowest levels in “almost a century”, exposing the remains of World War II shipwrecks, Reuters reported.
However, this year’s drought – seen by scientists as a consequence of global warming – has exposed more than 20 vessels in a stretch of the Danube near Prahovo in eastern Serbia, many of which still contain tons of ammunition and explosives and are risk to shipping. 3/5 pic.twitter.com/QoXHMKBre0
— Reuters (@Reuters) August 19, 2022
In Serbia, the Danube’s water level has dropped to less than half its usual August depth – no more than waist-high for nearly half its width, Reuters reported this week.
Danube water levels have been described as “critically low”, the European Times reported. Some areas have recorded water levels below sea level “for nearly a month,” according to the agency.
Europe’s current drought – exacerbated by human-induced climate change and on track to be the worst in 500 years – has shrunk waterways across the region. Italy’s Pa River fell to its lowest water levels in 70 years, Bloomberg reported. Spain’s reservoir has shrunk to reveal a ‘megalithic monument’ and Germany’s Elbe River has dried up enough to expose dire warnings of centuries-old ‘hunger stones’.
About 47% of Europe is under a drought warning and another 17% under drought alert conditions, according to the European Drought Observatory.
The heatwave and several months without significant rainfall have “restored Europe’s main waterways and are increasingly overheating,” the Guardian reported on August 13.
Serbia, Bulgaria and Romania have begun dredging the Danube in an effort to maintain the waterway for ships, Bloomberg reported on August 10.
Conditions are not expected to improve soon, but the European Drought Monitor told Sky News earlier this month that, “we have assessed a worsening of the situation across most of Europe”.
Prahovo is located about 150 miles east of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia.
Aspen Pflughoeft covers real-time news for McClatchy. He is a graduate of Minerva University where he studied communications, history and international politics. Previously, it was reported in the Deseret News.
title: “Shipwrecks Emerge From The Danube River In Europe S Drought Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-10-21” author: “Linda Payton”
Amid Europe’s historic drought, falling water levels have revealed a dangerous and potentially explosive site in the Danube River.
The Danube River stretches over 1,700 miles across Western Europe, passing through 10 countries before emptying into the Black Sea.
Scattered along one stretch of the river — a stretch near Prahovo, Serbia, on the border with Romania — is a “vast graveyard of shipwrecks” deliberately sunk by retreating Nazi German forces at the end of World War II, according to the Danube Region Strategy.
No one knows exactly how many shipwrecks are in the area, but at least 23 sunken ships are blocking river traffic, the regional authority said.
Sunken warships still contain explosive materials, writes Gordana Karović in the book, The Danube in Serbia. The quantity and exact location of these hazardous materials inside the ships remains unknown, Karowitz writes.
The collision of a passing ship hitting a sunken warship could cause an explosion, the strategy for the Danube region explained. This concern intensifies in “periods of low water consumption”. said the river authority.
The river is currently experiencing such a low water period, pictures from Reuters showed on August 18.
Water levels in the Danube River have fallen to their lowest levels in “almost a century”, exposing the remains of World War II shipwrecks, Reuters reported.
However, this year’s drought – seen by scientists as a consequence of global warming – has exposed more than 20 vessels in a stretch of the Danube near Prahovo in eastern Serbia, many of which still contain tons of ammunition and explosives and are risk to shipping. 3/5 pic.twitter.com/QoXHMKBre0
— Reuters (@Reuters) August 19, 2022
In Serbia, the Danube’s water level has dropped to less than half its usual August depth – no more than waist-high for nearly half its width, Reuters reported this week.
Danube water levels have been described as “critically low”, the European Times reported. Some areas have recorded water levels below sea level “for nearly a month,” according to the agency.
Europe’s current drought – exacerbated by human-induced climate change and on track to be the worst in 500 years – has shrunk waterways across the region. Italy’s Pa River fell to its lowest water levels in 70 years, Bloomberg reported. Spain’s reservoir has shrunk to reveal a ‘megalithic monument’ and Germany’s Elbe River has dried up enough to expose dire warnings of centuries-old ‘hunger stones’.
About 47% of Europe is under a drought warning and another 17% under drought alert conditions, according to the European Drought Observatory.
The heatwave and several months without significant rainfall have “restored Europe’s main waterways and are increasingly overheating,” the Guardian reported on August 13.
Serbia, Bulgaria and Romania have begun dredging the Danube in an effort to maintain the waterway for ships, Bloomberg reported on August 10.
Conditions are not expected to improve soon, but the European Drought Monitor told Sky News earlier this month that, “we have assessed a worsening of the situation across most of Europe”.
Prahovo is located about 150 miles east of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia.
Aspen Pflughoeft covers real-time news for McClatchy. He is a graduate of Minerva University where he studied communications, history and international politics. Previously, it was reported in the Deseret News.
title: “Shipwrecks Emerge From The Danube River In Europe S Drought Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-25” author: “Thomas Byers”
Amid Europe’s historic drought, falling water levels have revealed a dangerous and potentially explosive site in the Danube River.
The Danube River stretches over 1,700 miles across Western Europe, passing through 10 countries before emptying into the Black Sea.
Scattered along one stretch of the river — a stretch near Prahovo, Serbia, on the border with Romania — is a “vast graveyard of shipwrecks” deliberately sunk by retreating Nazi German forces at the end of World War II, according to the Danube Region Strategy.
No one knows exactly how many shipwrecks are in the area, but at least 23 sunken ships are blocking river traffic, the regional authority said.
Sunken warships still contain explosive materials, writes Gordana Karović in the book, The Danube in Serbia. The quantity and exact location of these hazardous materials inside the ships remains unknown, Karowitz writes.
The collision of a passing ship hitting a sunken warship could cause an explosion, the strategy for the Danube region explained. This concern intensifies in “periods of low water consumption”. said the river authority.
The river is currently experiencing such a low water period, pictures from Reuters showed on August 18.
Water levels in the Danube River have fallen to their lowest levels in “almost a century”, exposing the remains of World War II shipwrecks, Reuters reported.
However, this year’s drought – seen by scientists as a consequence of global warming – has exposed more than 20 vessels in a stretch of the Danube near Prahovo in eastern Serbia, many of which still contain tons of ammunition and explosives and are risk to shipping. 3/5 pic.twitter.com/QoXHMKBre0
— Reuters (@Reuters) August 19, 2022
In Serbia, the Danube’s water level has dropped to less than half its usual August depth – no more than waist-high for nearly half its width, Reuters reported this week.
Danube water levels have been described as “critically low”, the European Times reported. Some areas have recorded water levels below sea level “for nearly a month,” according to the agency.
Europe’s current drought – exacerbated by human-induced climate change and on track to be the worst in 500 years – has shrunk waterways across the region. Italy’s Pa River fell to its lowest water levels in 70 years, Bloomberg reported. Spain’s reservoir has shrunk to reveal a ‘megalithic monument’ and Germany’s Elbe River has dried up enough to expose dire warnings of centuries-old ‘hunger stones’.
About 47% of Europe is under a drought warning and another 17% under drought alert conditions, according to the European Drought Observatory.
The heatwave and several months without significant rainfall have “restored Europe’s main waterways and are increasingly overheating,” the Guardian reported on August 13.
Serbia, Bulgaria and Romania have begun dredging the Danube in an effort to maintain the waterway for ships, Bloomberg reported on August 10.
Conditions are not expected to improve soon, but the European Drought Monitor told Sky News earlier this month that, “we have assessed a worsening of the situation across most of Europe”.
Prahovo is located about 150 miles east of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia.
Aspen Pflughoeft covers real-time news for McClatchy. He is a graduate of Minerva University where he studied communications, history and international politics. Previously, it was reported in the Deseret News.
