World War II Explosives, Torpedoes and Naval Mines: The Way Marine Life Flourishes on Discarded Armaments

In the brackish waters off the German coast rests a collection of World War II explosives, torpedoes and naval mines. Discarded from vessels at the conclusion of the World War II and forgotten about, thousands weapons have accumulated over the years. They create a decaying blanket on the shallow, muddy ocean floor of the Bay of Lübeck in the western tip of the Baltic Sea.

Over the years, the Nazi arsenal was ignored and neglected. A growing number of visitors flocked to the coastal areas and calm waters for water sports, kiteboarding and amusement parks. Underwater, the weapons decayed.

Some of us expected to see a barren area, with no life because it was all poisoned, states the lead researcher.

When the team went searching to see what they were affecting to the ecosystem, some of us thought they would find a barren area, with nothing living there because it was all contaminated, states a scientist.

What they discovered amazed them. Vedenin recounts his team members exclaiming in amazement when the submersible first relayed pictures. That moment was a great moment, he recalls.

Countless of sea creatures had established habitats among the weapons, developing a revitalized habitat richer than the seabed nearby.

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

More than 40 sea stars had piled on to one exposed chunk of TNT. They were residing on metal shells, detonator compartments and transport cases just a short distance from its explosive filling. Fish, crabs, anemones and mussels were all discovered on the discarded explosives. It resembles a coral reef in terms of the quantity of fauna that was present, says Vedenin.

Remarkable Creature Concentration

An mean of more than 40,000 animals were dwelling on every square metre of the explosives, experts wrote in their research on the observation. The nearby seabed was much poorer in life, with only eight thousand creatures on every square metre.

It is surprising that things that are designed to kill all life are attracting so much marine organisms, says Vedenin. It's evident how the natural world adapts after a catastrophic event such as the World War II and how, in certain respects, marine life establishes itself to the most dangerous locations.

Artificial Features as Ocean Habitats

Artificial structures such as sunken vessels, wind turbines, oil rigs and pipelines can offer substitutes, restoring some of the lost marine environment. This investigation demonstrates that explosives could be equally positive – the explosion of marine organisms on those in the Lübeck Bay is likely to be repeated in other locations.

Between 1946 and 1948, 1.6 million tonnes of arms were dumped off the German coast. Thousands of individuals loaded them in vessels; some were deposited in specific locations, the remainder just discarded at sea during transport. This is the first time researchers have documented how marine life has adapted.

Global Examples of Ocean Adaptation

• In the US, retired energy installations have turned into marine habitats
• Shipwrecks from the first world war have become homes for wildlife along the Potomac River in Maryland
• Tank tracks that have become environment to reef-building organisms off Asan beach in Guam

These locations become even more important for marine life as the seas are increasingly depleted by fishing, seafloor dredging and boat mooring. Shipwrecks and weapons dump sites practically serve as refuges – they are not national parks, but virtually any kind of human activity is banned, states Vedenin. Consequently a numerous of organisms that are typically scarce or decreasing, such as the Baltic cod, are thriving.

Coming Factors

Wherever warfare has taken place in the recent history, surrounding seas are often strewn with weapons, explains Vedenin. Millions of tons of explosive material rest in our oceans.

The positions of these weapons are inadequately mapped, in part because of sovereign limits, restricted military information and the situation that archives are buried in historical records. They present an detonation and security risk, as well as threat from the persistent leakage of toxic chemicals.

As the German government and different states start removing these relics, experts hope to preserve the ecosystems that have established in their vicinity. In the Bay of Lübeck weapons are presently being extracted.

It would be wise to substitute these metal carcasses originating from munitions with certain less dangerous, various safe structures, like possibly man-made habitats, states Vedenin.

He currently hopes that what happens in Lübeck establishes a model for substituting material after munitions removal in other locations – because even the most damaging weaponry can become foundation for new life.