#370 The Forgotten Arsenal of the Ocean: Clearing Dumped Munitions
Engineering Matters

#370 The Forgotten Arsenal of the Ocean: Clearing Dumped Munitions

B2Upper-intermediateJuly 2, 202639 min

At the end of the Second World War, millions of tonnes of unwanted explosives and weapons were disposed of at sea. For decades, these dumped munitions lay hidden beneath the waves as time and tide passed over them. Now 80 years past that mass-dumping, corrosion has begun to expose the explosive chemicals inside these weapons casings. Lead, mercury and TNT breakdown products have begun to be detected in fish stocks throughout the affected waters. At the same time, the growth of offshore infrastructure such as wind farms is increasing the need to understand and manage hazards on the...

Play episode

Opens the player: the full transcript, every word clickable, with translation and flashcards.

Try it: tap any word

Real sentences from the start of this episode. Every word is marked with its level.

Sentence 1 of 12 · 0:00

, , ,

flit between the jagged outlines of corroding steel objects.

Hear this sentence

Tap a word to see its meaning in your language.

Do you know these words?

8 harder words from this episode. Tap one to see what it means, then mark it.

  • B24:06
  • C17:17
  • B213:01
  • B215:57
  • B220:56
  • C128:37
  • C131:50
  • C135:59

Mark a few words and we'll tell you how this episode fits your level.

Is this episode right for you?

B2

B2 · Upper-intermediate

Comfortable if you already follow TV news

A1 23%A2 36%B1 24%B2 12%C1 5%
  • 83% of the words are B1 or easier.
  • 127 words a minute: slow, clear speech.
  • 188 harder words (B2 and up) in the whole episode.

Transcript

The opening of the episode. The whole transcript is in the player.

0:00

Some 30 meters below the surface of the Baltic Sea, schools of cod, flounder, perch and herring flit between the jagged outlines of corroding steel objects. Covered in almost a century of algal growth, these structures lie encrusted with a thriving colony of barnacles,

0:44

rust, minerals and ejecta, all feeding the local marine life. The shoals of fish move this way and that in search of food. The wreckage no less a haven for marine life than any natural reef. But here, there is something else.

1:08

Invisible to the eye, plumes of chemicals permeate the area. The fish pass through these clouds, back through again, and back yet again. Each pass exposes them, and so the entire food chain, to concentrations of lead, of mercury, and 246-trinitrotoluene. TNT

That was the opening. The rest of the episode (38 min) is in the player: every word clickable, with translation, saved words and flashcards.

Continue in the player

Automatically generated from the audio. May contain errors. Audio belongs to its publisher and is played from their feed. Rights holders can request removal — copyright & takedown policy