World War II Explosives, Torpedoes and Mines: How Marine Life Thrives on Abandoned Armaments

In the brackish sea off the Germany's shoreline lies a graveyard of Nazi bombs, torpedoes and mines. Thrown off vessels at the end of the World War II and neglected, numerous weapons have become matted together over the decades. They create a decaying layer on the shallow, silty ocean floor of the Lübeck Bay in the western tip of the Baltic Sea.

Over the years, the Nazi arsenal was ignored and neglected. A growing number of tourists flocked to the sandy beaches and tranquil sea for jetskiing, kiteboarding and entertainment venues. Beneath the surface, the munitions eroded.

We initially expected to see a lifeless zone, with no organisms because it was all poisoned, explains a scientist.

When the first scientists went investigating to see what they were affecting to the marine environment, the team expected to see a lifeless zone, with no organisms because it was all poisoned, says the lead researcher.

What they found surprised them. Vedenin remembers his scientists exclaiming in amazement when the submersible first transmitted footage. This was a great moment, he recalls.

Numerous of marine animals had established habitats amid the weapons, developing a renewed marine community denser than the seabed around it.

This ocean community was testament to the persistence of life. Indeed remarkable how much marine organisms we find in places that are expected to be toxic and harmful, he states.

More than 40 starfish had piled on to one visible fragment of explosive material. They were dwelling on iron containers, detonator compartments and transport cases just a short distance from its explosive filling. Marine fish, crabs, sea anemones and mussels were all discovered on the historic weapons. It's similar to a reef ecosystem in terms of the quantity of creatures that was present, notes Vedenin.

Surprising Population Density

An mean of more than forty thousand organisms were dwelling on every meter squared of the weapons, experts documented in their research on the finding. The surrounding area was much sparser, with only 8,000 creatures on every square metre.

It is surprising that things that are intended to eliminate all life are drawing so much life, says Vedenin. It's evident how the natural world evolves after a major disaster such as the World War II and how, in certain respects, life establishes itself to the most hazardous locations.

Artificial Features as Marine Habitats

Artificial structures such as shipwrecks, wind turbines, oil rigs and pipelines can offer substitutes, restoring some of the lost marine environment. This research reveals that munitions could be comparably beneficial – the bloom of life on those in the Bay of Lübeck is likely to be duplicated elsewhere.

Between the late 1940s and 1948, 1.6 million tonnes of weapons were dumped off the Germany's coast. Countless of people placed them in barges; some were placed in allocated locations, the remainder just discarded at sea during transport. This is the initial instance experts have recorded how marine life has responded.

Global Instances of Ocean Adaptation

• In the US, decommissioned oil and gas structures have turned into reef ecosystems
• Shipwrecks from the first world war have become homes for wildlife along the Potomac in the state of Maryland
• Military vehicle parts that have become home to coral off Asan beach in Guam

These areas become even more important for organisms as the seas are increasingly stripped by commercial fishing, seafloor dredging and boat mooring. Sunken ships and explosive disposal locations essentially serve as sanctuaries – they are not official reserves, but nearly any kind of human activity is banned, states Vedenin. Consequently a lot of marine species that are otherwise rare or diminishing, such as the cod fish, are thriving.

Coming Considerations

Wherever armed conflict has happened in the recent history, surrounding seas are usually containing munitions, explains Vedenin. Millions of tonnes of explosive material remain in our oceans.

The positions of these weapons are poorly recorded, in part because of sovereign limits, secret defense data and the fact that records are stored in historical records. They create an explosion and safety risk, as well as risk from the persistent emission of hazardous substances.

As the German government and additional nations start clearing these artifacts, scientists hope to protect the marine communities that have developed in their vicinity. In the Bay of Lübeck munitions are presently being extracted.

Researchers recommend substitute these iron structures originating from weapons with certain safer, some safe objects, like perhaps concrete structures, states Vedenin.

He currently hopes that what occurs in the Bay of Lübeck sets a example for replacing material after explosive extraction in different areas – because even the most damaging weaponry can become framework for marine organisms.