Toxic fuel in Micronesia's WWII shipwrecks harbors bacteria that could help fight oil pollution

Fuel leaking from WWII Japanese shipwrecks in Micronesia—still contaminating Chuuk Lagoon decades after the war—may also host bacteria that could one day support cleanup efforts. Researchers studying oil from the Shinkoku Maru and Kiyosumi Maru, wrecks that have been leaking since 1944, found bacteria across 42 phyla with 1,505 species-level classifications, according to ScienceAlert. The study, published in Marine Pollution Bulletin and led by Awei Bainivalu of the University of the South Pacific in Fiji, analyzed a medium fuel-oil sample from Shinkoku Maru, a heavier fuel-oil sample from Kiyosumi Maru, and material from the oil-water boundary. Chemical tests showed petroleum hydrocarbons harmful to marine life, and DNA sequencing identified genera including Ralstonia, Sphingomonas and Corynebacterium. The authors say strong microbial diversity in toxic fuels could inform future bioremediation approaches.