Biodiversity on Shipwrecks

Take an underwater journey across American waters and the tropical Pacific to discover how shipwrecks and submerged aircraft are shaping the ocean environment in a fascinating Silver Science presentation at the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History by Dr Kirstin Meyer-Kaiser on Saturday, April 11, at 1pm.
The marine biologist will talk about her work studying Underwater Cultural Heritage Sites, including the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary off the coast of Boston.
“There are three million shipwrecks worldwide. They serve as memorials to lives lost but also become part of the environment,” said Dr Meyer-Kaiser. “These sites become habitats for microbes, corals, anemones and fish, which can be studied to understand how human activities influence nature – and vice versa – over time.”
The presentation will include research into how different metals contained in wreckage affect marine life, and how scientists are working with commercial fishing communities to help preserve Cultural Heritage Sites.
Kirstin Meyer-Kaiser works at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, studying island-like communities of sessile invertebrates, especially those living in anthropogenic habitats. She is a technical SCUBA diver who travels and dives frequently for research. She lives in Falmouth.