The location of Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 remains unknown, but barnacles could potentially provide clues to its whereabouts.
In the ongoing quest to uncover the mystery of missing Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 (MH370), a team of researchers has been developing a promising new approach. By analysing the chemical composition and isotopes found in the shells of stalked barnacles (Lepas anatifera), scientists hope to gain valuable insights into the drift paths of debris from such disasters.
This innovative method, which is still in its developmental stages, offers a unique perspective on oceanic searches. Stalked barnacles attach themselves to floating debris, incorporating local seawater chemistry and temperature signals into their shells as they grow. By examining isotopic ratios and elemental composition in barnacle shells, researchers can infer the environmental history of the debris, including the approximate oceanic regions it drifted through over time.
The research, published in the American Geophysical Union journal AGU Advances, has been spearheaded by marine ecologist Gregory Herbert at the University of South Florida. He was drawn to the MH370 mystery in 2015, after seeing news accounts of a flaperon from the missing plane. Working in collaboration with various experts, including Lepas expert Anne Marie Power and Franck Bassinot, the team has made significant strides in refining the accuracy of this method.
One of the key advancements is the development of an equation that can glean sea-surface temperature records from a mystery barnacle with a precision of 0.1 degrees Celsius. This level of accuracy is a considerable improvement over the earlier methods, which were only accurate to about 2 degrees Celsius.
The research team has also developed methods for tracking the ocean temperatures the barnacles travelled through and statistical formulas that could potentially "turn that temperature history into a drift pathway that leads back to the crash." However, it's important to note that the precision of such reconstructions depends heavily on comprehensive baseline data of seawater chemistry and temperature fluctuations across potential drift areas, as well as a detailed understanding of barnacle growth rates and environmental incorporation processes.
In the case of MH370, no authoritative sources among the recent search updates or crash investigations explicitly confirm the routine or highly accurate use of stalked barnacle shell chemistry to retrace debris paths and narrow search areas. The extensive searches (covering tens of thousands of square kilometers) have relied mostly on oceanographic modeling, satellite data, and direct surface and underwater exploration. While chemical analysis of barnacle shells attached to debris has been proposed conceptually and may complement other methods, its adoption as a primary or proven technique in this context remains limited or experimental.
Despite these limitations, the potential of this approach is significant. For instance, marine scientist Joseph Poupin's expert report established the species, size range, and their growth curve of the barnacles found on the flaperon. The team was able to model only the final leg of the drift path based on the smallest barnacles that had colonized the flaperon.
This research is not limited to the search for MH370. Barnacle shells are also being used in conservation biology to help track sea turtles and other marine mammals. Moreover, the technique has its roots in the works of Charles Darwin, who spent eight years on barnacle science, which helped shape his theory of evolution.
The Malaysian government has stated that it will not restart another search mission without evidence that is both "new" and "credible." As this research continues to develop, it may provide just such evidence, offering a new and intriguing approach to solving one of aviation's most enduring mysteries.
References: [1] [The research paper on the use of stalked barnacle shells in the MH370 search] [2] [News articles reporting on the MH370 search and the role of stalked barnacle shells]
- This innovative approach, developed for the search of Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 (MH370), analyzes the chemical composition and isotopes found in stalked barnacle shells to infer the environmental history of debris.
- Gregory Herbert, a marine ecologist at the University of South Florida, has led the research team that employs this technique, aiming to gain insights into the drift paths of disaster debris.
- By developing an equation to extract sea-surface temperature records and statistical formulas to potentially trace the debris's path, the researchers hope to narrow search areas for MH370 and other similar incidents.
- Barnacle shells, along with their connection to Charles Darwin's evolution theory, are also being used in conservation biology to track sea turtles and other marine species.
- The precision of reconstructions with this method depends on comprehensive baseline data and a detailed understanding of barnacle growth rates and environmental incorporation processes.
- Despite their potential, the use of stalked barnacle shell chemistry to trace debris paths is still experimental and not established as a primary method in the search for MH370.
- In general-news, MH370 remains an unsolved mystery, while education and self-development in environmental science continue to explore innovative techniques such as this one for disaster research.
- As the research progresses, it may uncover new and credible evidence sought by the Malaysian government, potentially providing a breakthrough in the long-standing mystery of MH370.
