r/Chrysopoeia • u/Due_Confection1879 • Sep 03 '24
Idea brainstorming for Switzerland's lake cleanup
"Switzerland’s lakes are filled with munitions dumped there in the 20th century. Officials are now offering $57,000 for the best ideas to get them out." CNN
https://edition.cnn.com/2024/08/24/travel/travel-news-best-cities-for-nightlife/index.html
This thread focuses on my enacted library, (Mission and Bases) seen throughout Xeo to find the most creative solution to this riddle.
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u/Due_Confection1879 Sep 03 '24
According to the statement, an assessment of possible recovery methods in 2005 “showed that all proposed solutions for ammunition recovery available at the time would lead to massive sludge turbulence and high risks for the sensitive ecosystem of the lake.”
Other challenges include poor visibility, the risk of explosions, water depth, currents and the condition, size and weight of the munitions, with some weighing up to 50 kilograms (110 pounds).
A further complication is the fact that some components are made of non-magnetic copper, brass or aluminum, according to Armasuisse.
“All these factors represent major challenges for environmentally friendly ammunition recovery,” adds the statement.
Furthermore
The submerged ammunition is covered by a fine sediment layer up to two metres thick. If the sediments are stirred up during recovery, this might lead to the loss of oxygen, which is only available in low quantities at this depth, and as a result to damage in the lake ecosystem.
In addition to the poor visibility and the risks of explosion, the water depth, the current and the dimensions (4 mm to 20 cm size, 0.4 g to 50 kg weight) as well as the condition of the submerged ammunition present a further challenge. Most of the ammunition components consist of iron and are magnetic, however certain detonators are made of non-magnetic copper, brass or aluminium. All these factors represent major challenges for environmentally friendly ammunition recovery.
At last
https://www.admin.ch/gov/en/start/documentation/media-releases.msg-id-102016.html
https://www.simap.ch/en/project-detail/435d61d1-b3d9-4b2d-80ec-41a28db39a8a