Marine Expert Explains Possible Environmental Impacts of Downed Chinese Balloon
WPDE- Myrtle Beach, South Carolina - February 9, 2023 8:00 am
Sailors assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group 2 recover a high-altitude surveillance balloon off the coast of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Feb. 5, 2023. (U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Tyler Thompson)
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WPDE) — Debris scattered across the Atlantic is keeping Navy sailors busy as their search for remnants of the suspected Chinese spy balloon continues.
The balloon was shot down Saturday off the coast of South Carolina and cleanup efforts began Sunday.
The object was estimated to be 200 feet tall. To put that in perspective, the Myrtle Beach Skywheel is 187 feet tall.
As Americans wait to find out what the balloon was made of and what was inside it, questions about possible environmental impacts emerge.
You’ve got materials within the missile, materials in the payload of the balloon, and then the balloon itself. So, lots of different things that may find their way into the ocean,” said Paul Gayes, Coastal Carolina University marine expert.
He said parts of the balloon that weren’t destroyed by the missile inevitably fell 60,000 feet into the ocean–but because of the balloon’s altitude, any toxic chemical compounds were diffused into the atmosphere.
“Batteries, solar panels and things have some heavy metals and other kinds of concerns, but even though it was a fairly large data load, the presumption is a fair bit of it had been exploded and distributed,” he said. “What gets to the ocean and what concentration remains to be seen.”
