
Unexploded bombs: Will the Black Sea face the same fate as the Baltic?
04/04/24 • 32 min
Called "ticking time bombs," millions of tonnes of unexploded munitions and other relics of WWII lie at the bottom of all our European seas. In an attempt to demilitarise Europe, around 40,000 tonnes of chemical weapons were dumped into the Baltic Sea alone, according to HELCOM.
Today, the war in Ukraine is threatening the Black Sea once again, exacerbating an already complicated situation.
In this episode of Ocean Calls, Euronews science reporter Jeremy Wilks and his guests will discuss the complicated legacy of WWII and explore whether we can help save the Black Sea or at least make future clean-up efforts a bit easier to manage.
At the end of the episode, you’ll hear a mysterious tale of the oldest and best-preserved shipwreck ever found, thanks to the unique properties of the Black Sea.
Follow these links to read more about our guests:
- Jens Greinert, head of the Deep Sea Monitoring Research Unit at the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research in Kiel
- Markus Helavuori, professional secretary at the Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission (HELCOM)
- Mikhail Son, deputy director of the Institute of Marine Biology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine
- Viktor Komorin, head of the Ukrainian Scientific Centre for Marine Ecology
- Rodrigo Pacheco-Ruiz, maritime archaeologist at The National Museum of the Royal Navy and The Black Sea MAP project
Ocean Calls is produced in partnership with the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Called "ticking time bombs," millions of tonnes of unexploded munitions and other relics of WWII lie at the bottom of all our European seas. In an attempt to demilitarise Europe, around 40,000 tonnes of chemical weapons were dumped into the Baltic Sea alone, according to HELCOM.
Today, the war in Ukraine is threatening the Black Sea once again, exacerbating an already complicated situation.
In this episode of Ocean Calls, Euronews science reporter Jeremy Wilks and his guests will discuss the complicated legacy of WWII and explore whether we can help save the Black Sea or at least make future clean-up efforts a bit easier to manage.
At the end of the episode, you’ll hear a mysterious tale of the oldest and best-preserved shipwreck ever found, thanks to the unique properties of the Black Sea.
Follow these links to read more about our guests:
- Jens Greinert, head of the Deep Sea Monitoring Research Unit at the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research in Kiel
- Markus Helavuori, professional secretary at the Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission (HELCOM)
- Mikhail Son, deputy director of the Institute of Marine Biology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine
- Viktor Komorin, head of the Ukrainian Scientific Centre for Marine Ecology
- Rodrigo Pacheco-Ruiz, maritime archaeologist at The National Museum of the Royal Navy and The Black Sea MAP project
Ocean Calls is produced in partnership with the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Ocean Calls returns on April 4
On April 4, Ocean Calls is back for another season.
This time, we’ll talk about the environmental catastrophe in the Black Sea, help you trace where your seafood comes from, and explore how AI can offer insights into everything from the pathways of plastic pollution to the lives of teenage turtles.
We also have some touching, personal tales from ocean lovers like Sex Education star Chris Jenks and fresh-fish-obsessed Dutch chef Bart Van Olphen. Stay with us as we debate with experts, break down the science, and explain EU policies and action.
Created in partnership with the European Commission's Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries and hosted by Euronews science reporter Jeremy Wilks.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Next Episode

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Would that help protect and restore our oceans by enabling better decision-making? And what kinds of questions could it help us to answer?
In this episode of Ocean Calls, we will discuss the EU's Digital Twin of the Ocean, known as the DTO. This European initiative aims to create an artificial intelligence-fueled representation of the seas. It’s expected to be accessible to the public in 2024.
We’ll explore what the DTO is and examine how it can aid in combating plastic pollution, saving endangered species like marine turtles, and protecting our harbours from meteotsunamis.
At the end of the episode, you’ll hear from Sex Education and Karen Pirie star Chris Jenks about his adventures growing up on an island in Scotland.
Follow these links to read more about our guests:
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Joaquin Tintore, head of Balearic Islands Coastal Observing and Forecasting System
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Ocean Tale from Chris Jenks, British actor and producer
Hosted by Euronews science reporter Jeremy Wiks. Produced by Naira Davlashyan and Natalia Oelsner.
The production coordinator is Carolyne Llabe.
The sound editing is by Jean-Christophe Marcaud and the sound mixing is by Matthieu Duchaine.
Our editor-in-chief is Sophie Claudet.
In this episode, we include extracts from Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Cola commercials, as well as a scene from Star Trek (Season 1, Episode 1).
Ocean Calls is produced in partnership with the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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