Nazi Bombs, Torpedoes and Naval Mines: How Marine Life Thrives on Dumped Armaments

In the slightly salty waters off the German shoreline lies a graveyard of World War II explosives, torpedoes and naval mines. Discarded from vessels at the conclusion of the second world war and left behind, countless munitions have become matted together over the decades. They create a decaying layer on the low-depth, silty seafloor of the Lübeck Bay in the western tip of the Baltic.

Over the years, the wartime weapons was overlooked and forgotten about. A growing number of visitors flocked to the coastal areas and tranquil sea for jetskiing, kiteboarding and entertainment venues. Underwater, the munitions deteriorated.

Researchers expected to see a desert, with no life because it was all poisoned, states Andrey Vedenin.

When the initial researchers went looking to see what they were doing to the ecosystem, researchers expected to see a barren area, with no organisms because it was all poisoned, states a scientist.

What they found surprised them. Vedenin recalls his scientists shouting with surprise when the underwater vehicle first relayed pictures. It was a memorable occasion, he recalls.

Numerous of ocean life had settled among the explosives, forming a renewed marine community richer than the ocean bottom around it.

This underwater metropolis was proof to the persistence of life. Indeed astonishing how much marine organisms we find in locations that are supposed to be dangerous and dangerous, he states.

Over 40 sea stars had gathered on to one exposed piece of TNT. They were residing on iron containers, ignition chambers and storage boxes just a short distance from its volatile core. Marine fish, crustaceans, anemones and bivalves were all found on the old munitions. You could compare it with a coral reef in terms of the amount of creatures that was inhabiting the area, states Vedenin.

Remarkable Creature Concentration

An mean of more than 40,000 creatures were living on every meter squared of the munitions, researchers reported in their research on the finding. The nearby seabed was much less diverse, with only eight thousand creatures on every meter squared.

It is surprising that objects that are meant to destroy all life are drawing so much life, says Vedenin. It's evident how the natural world adapts after a devastating occurrence such as the second world war and how, in certain respects, life returns to the most hazardous areas.

Man-made Features as Ocean Habitats

Man-made constructions such as shipwrecks, wind turbines, oil rigs and pipelines can offer substitutes, compensating for some of the removed marine environment. This investigation demonstrates that munitions could be similarly advantageous – the explosion of life on those in the Bay of Lübeck is expected to be found elsewhere.

Between 1946 and the post-war period, 1.6 million tonnes of munitions were discarded off the German coast. Countless of people transported them in barges; a portion were deposited in specific areas, the remainder just dumped while traveling. This is the first time experts have documented how ocean organisms has responded.

Global Examples of Ocean Adaptation

• In the US, decommissioned oil and gas structures have become coral reefs
• Submerged vessels from the first world war have become environments for marine life along the Potomac in the state of Maryland
• Tank tracks that have become habitat to reef-building organisms off Asan beach in Guam

These areas become even more valuable for marine life as the marine environments are increasingly depleted by commercial fishing, bottom trawling and boat mooring. Shipwrecks and explosive disposal locations effectively serve as refuges – they are not official reserves, but almost any kind of human activity is prohibited, explains Vedenin. Therefore a numerous of species that are typically uncommon or diminishing, such as the Baltic cod, are thriving.

Coming Issues

Wherever armed conflict has happened in the past 100 years, surrounding seas are usually containing weapons, says Vedenin. Millions of tons of explosive material lie in our marine environments.

The sites of these explosives are poorly documented, partly because of national borders, restricted armed forces records and the reality that documents are buried in old files. They present an explosion and security risk, as well as danger from the ongoing release of poisonous compounds.

As the German government and additional nations embark on extracting these remains, scientists aim to preserve the habitats that have established in their vicinity. In the Bay of Lübeck munitions are currently being extracted.

We should replace these steel remains originating from munitions with certain safer, various non-dangerous structures, like maybe artificial reefs, suggests Vedenin.

He currently hopes that what happens in the Bay of Lübeck creates a model for substituting structures after munitions removal elsewhere – because even the most destructive explosives can become framework for marine organisms.