While shipwrecks are well-recognized as cultural icons, they are also ecological treasures because they create homes for underwater life. Drawing upon recent scientific advances, an international team of ecologists and archaeologists synthesized how when vessels wreck, they begin a “second life” as special ecological places on the river-, lake-, or seabed. https://coastalscience.noaa.gov/news/scientists-study-shipwrecks-to-understand-underwater-ecology

Graphic depicting ecological processes on shipwrecks, including ecological processes like succession, zonation, connectivity, energy flow, disturbance, and degradation.