Mysterious black balls have washed ashore on the eastern beaches of Sydney, Australia. According to the tests conducted so far, the balls contain tar, which is not good news at all.
“A tar ball is a mass of oil that travels through the ocean and collects debris.”
He explained Louise MorrisFrom the Australian Marine Conservation Society. He added that the balls found are likely pollutants from fossil fuels, and because they are so sticky, they stick to anything they come into contact with in the ocean.
After a spill from a drilling rig, for example, crude oil is carried away by waves and currents, which thickens and hardens over time, so the small pieces form balls.
Although some of it sinks to the sea floor, pieces containing more air continue to float on the water and can even reach beaches, as is happening now.
However, the situation we have just seen is still strange, as is the case in the Sydney area There have not been any major oil spills recently. This makes the sudden, large appearance of golf ball-sized balls even more mysterious, he wrote The Guardian.
Devastating impact on nature
According to scientists, in addition to the hundreds of tar balls found on the beach, there may be at least the same number floating in the open sea, which could pose a major problem for wildlife. For example, the waters off Sydney's beaches are home to many rare species of sharks, and are also a migration area for the fin whale.
“If there are tar balls floating beneath the ocean's surface, or if some simply sink to the sea floor, the entire marine life and entire food ecosystem is affected. Tar is sticky. We've all seen the heartbreaking images of birds and other animals covered in oil after an oil spill.”
Announce Dr. Sharon Hook Sea explorer.
If animals ingest the debris, it can block their stomachs, preventing them from digesting food and thus posing a life-threatening hazard. Experts also warn that the chemicals in these balls could be harmful to human health and may even have a carcinogenic effect. Hence, it is not recommended for anyone to touch it if they see such a formation.
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