**** Info via Environment Canada
Military artifacts resurfacing
The “eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month” officially commemorates the end of the First World War (WW1) in 1918. Every year, on November 11, we honour those who have served Canada in times of war, military conflict and peace.
Although World War I ended more than a century ago, the planet itself records its legacy, with many long-buried remnants of military history resurfacing. Visible from space, some craters and trenches continue to be part of France and Belgium landscape.
The melting of glaciers due to our warming climate has also revealed many war artifacts over the recent years. World War II or Cold War-era aircraft and artifacts have been returned by melting glaciers in the Alps, Alaska, and Iceland, to name a few places. In May 2021, a retreating glacier in the Italian Alps revealed a forgotten World War I cave bunker, offering a rare glimpse into the lives of soldiers who fought in the White War, a series of high-altitude battles that took place across the Alps between 1915 and 1918.
In October 2021, an undersea volcanic eruption near Iwo Jima in Japan caused seafloor uplift that brought long-sunken World War II ships to the surface. The Battle of Iwo Jima took place in the western Pacific in 1945 during the final months of World War II.
As our climate changes, we can expect the Earth to continue revealing war artifacts, reminding us that military conflicts left scars all over the world. Today, let’s all take time to pay tribute to the contributions and sacrifices of the men and women who have served Canada in times of war, military conflict and in peace—especially those who did not return.
