World War II Munitions, Torpedo Heads and Naval Mines: The Way Marine Life Prosper on Discarded Weapons

In the slightly salty waters off the German shoreline lies a collection of Nazi bombs, torpedoes and mines. Thrown off vessels at the end of the World War II and forgotten about, numerous weapons have become matted together over the decades. They create a decaying carpet on the low-depth, muddy ocean floor of the Lübeck Bay in the western part of the Baltic Sea.

Over the decades, the explosive stockpile was ignored and forgotten about. A growing number of visitors traveled to the coastal areas and tranquil sea for water sports, kite surfing and amusement parks. Underwater, the munitions eroded.

Some of us anticipated to see a lifeless zone, with no organisms because it was all poisoned, explains Andrey Vedenin.

When the first scientists went searching to see what they were affecting to the ecosystem, some of us expected to see a lifeless zone, with no life because it was all contaminated, states Andrey Vedenin.

What they observed amazed them. Vedenin remembers his scientists shouting with surprise when the ROV first relayed pictures. That moment was a memorable occasion, he recalls.

Numerous of ocean life had settled among the explosives, developing a revitalized marine community denser than the seabed surrounding it.

This marine city was testament to the tenacity of marine life. Truly remarkable how much marine organisms we find in locations that are supposed to be hazardous and risky, he states.

In excess of 40 sea stars had piled on to one accessible fragment of TNT. They were dwelling on iron containers, fuse pockets and transport cases just a short distance from its explosive filling. Fish, crabs, sea anemones and mussels were all found on the discarded explosives. It resembles a marine reef in terms of the quantity of creatures that was inhabiting the area, says Vedenin.

Unexpected Creature Concentration

An mean of more than forty thousand creatures were residing on every meter squared of the munitions, researchers reported in their study on the finding. The nearby seabed was much less diverse, with only eight thousand organisms on every square metre.

It is paradoxical that objects that are designed to destroy everything are drawing so much marine organisms, states Vedenin. One can observe how the natural world adapts after a devastating occurrence such as the World War II and how, in certain respects, life establishes itself to the most risky areas.

Man-made Structures as Marine Environments

Man-made constructions such as shipwrecks, wind turbines, oil rigs and pipelines can provide alternatives, replacing some of the lost marine environment. This investigation reveals that explosives could be comparably advantageous – the bloom of life on those in the Lübeck Bay is likely to be found in other locations.

Between the late 1940s and the post-war period, 1.6 million tonnes of weapons were disposed of off the German shoreline. Countless of people placed them in boats; a portion were dropped in designated areas, the remainder just dumped while traveling. This is the first time scientists have documented how marine life has reacted.

Global Instances of Ocean Adaptation

• In the US, retired oil and gas structures have become coral reefs
• Submerged vessels from the first world war have become homes for creatures along the Potomac River in the state of Maryland
• Military vehicle parts that have become environment to coral off Asan beach in the Pacific island

These areas become even more important for wildlife as the seas are increasingly stripped by commercial fishing, seafloor dredging and anchoring. Sunken ships and explosive disposal locations essentially function as protected areas – they are not national parks, but virtually any kind of human activity is prohibited, says Vedenin. Therefore a many of species that are usually scarce or declining, such as the cod fish, are thriving.

Future Considerations

Anywhere military conflict has happened in the past 100 years, adjacent waters are typically littered with munitions, explains Vedenin. Many millions of tons of explosive material remain in our marine environments.

The locations of these weapons are poorly documented, in part because of national borders, classified armed forces records and the fact that documents are hidden in historic archives. They create an explosion and security risk, as well as risk from the continuous leakage of hazardous substances.

As Germany and additional nations start removing these artifacts, experts aim to protect the marine communities that have established nearby. In the Bay of Lübeck weapons are already being removed.

Researchers recommend replace these iron structures left from munitions with certain more secure, some non-dangerous materials, like maybe man-made habitats, suggests Vedenin.

He currently wishes that what transpires in the Bay of Lübeck sets a model for replacing structures after explosive extraction in different areas – because also the most harmful weaponry can become scaffolding for marine organisms.