Characterisation of UXO parameters through bacterial colony patterns and the Gray-Scott model

<p>Decomposition and dispersion of chemical components related to unexploded ordnance (UXO) pose a threat to marine ecosystems in the Baltic Sea. Recent surveys of munition dumpsites have shown spatial cooccurrence of individual UXO items and colonies of Beggiatoa-like bacteria. These colonies arise in patterns typical to a specific set of reaction-diffusion equations: the Gray-Scott model. In this work we describe the parameters of the Gray-Scott model and map the resulting bacterial patterns to the feed-rate of another (yet unknown) component. Furthermore we propose a set of assumptions, which, if met, would allow us to characterise and quantify the rate of corrosion, dissolution, or distribution of single UXO items by observing the signature patterns of their accompanying bacterial colonies.</p>