In emergencies, dumping ocean water on fires may be the best option. But seawater can have long-term effects on equipment and ecosystems, as a novel coastal experiment shows.

Saltwater corrodes firefighting equipment and may harm ecosystems, especially those like the chaparral shrublands around Los Angeles that aren’t normally exposed to seawater. Gardeners know that small amounts of salt – added, say, as fertilizer – does not harm plants, but excessive salts can stress and kill plants.

  • givesomefucks@lemmy.worldEnglish
    32·
    2 days ago

    I mean, salt was expensive as fuck, people weren’t wasting it to fuck over someone very far away…

    Most of the time it was a symbolic gesture with like a hand full of salt.

    Dumping sea water at this volume tho will have an effect for a long time, and we can’t really undo the damage. Which is why it’s an apt reference.