Record-low water levels in the Danube River have revealed the wrecks of World War Two German warships in eastern Serbia. The rusted hulls, which have lain submerged for decades, have emerged as the river’s water levels have dropped to historic lows.
A succession of record-breaking heatwaves in Europe this summer has caused a severe drought in parts of the continent, affecting major waterways such as the Danube and the Rhine. The Danube water temperatures in Serbia have hovered around an all-time maximum of 28 degrees Celsius.
Ljubisa Karalic, a local fisherman in Prahovo, said, “This has literally never happened before, these wrecks we’re heading towards right now have never been visible like this. They’ve always been completely submerged; what we’re seeing now is utterly unprecedented.”
Jelena Jerinic of Serbia’s Hydrometeorological Service warned that the river’s biodiversity is threatened as well, saying, “High (water) temperatures, alongside low water volume, accelerate the proliferation of microorganisms and bacteria while depleting dissolved oxygen levels.”
Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
