Scientists have discovered what they believe is “strong evidence” of a fresh water deposit under the sea floor off the Mediterranean island of Malta.
According to Dr. Amir Haroon from the GEOMAR Helmholtz Center for Ocean Research Kiel, the lead author of the study:
“Our discovery is based on an oceanographic expedition we conducted in 2018. We used geophysical methods, called reflection seismics, combined with novel electromagnetic techniques to detect these deposits. Our data suggest that the groundwater occurs as an isolated body in limestone formations three kilometers [1.86 miles] from the coast.”
Study co-author Aaron Micallef from GEOMAR and the University of Malta spoke about the implications of their findings:
“Offshore groundwater may represent a new, unconventional source of drinking water that should be considered in future national water management strategies for the Maltese islands.”
Read more at sciencedaily.com.
