War doesn’t just hurt people and cities. It can also damage the oceans, even though we rarely see it.

Right now, many warships from the United States are in the Arabian Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. At the same time, the Strait of Hormuz is very tense because Iran has used explosive boats to attack fuel tankers.

On TV, we see big fires and smoke rising from ships.
But what we don’t see is what happens under the water.

When ships are damaged or sink during wars, they leave behind huge amounts of wreckage on the ocean floor. Over time this wreckage breaks down and releases oil, chemicals, and metal into the water. These toxic materials can poison fish, coral, and other sea creatures.

Oceans are also connected to each other. So pollution in one place can travel far away. For example, fighting between Russia and Ukraine in the Black Sea can affect the Mediterranean Sea too. Chemicals, noise from weapons, and explosions disturb animals like dolphins, whales, and seabirds. They can also confuse animals during migration, feeding, or nesting.

War also destroys biodiversity. Biodiversity means the many different kinds of plants and animals that live in one place. When many species disappear, the whole ecosystem becomes weaker.

There is another problem. Many ships that sank during World War I and World War II are still lying on the ocean floor.

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, these wrecks still contain billions of gallons of fuel oil and dangerous weapons. As oceans warm, these ships rust faster, which could cause big oil leaks in the future.

The sad part is that this destruction is mostly invisible. Cameras show burning ships on the surface, but the long-lasting damage under the sea often goes unnoticed. Even when wars end, the harm to the oceans can last for many, many years.

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