Nazi Explosives, Torpedo Heads and Naval Mines: How Ocean Creatures Prosper on Abandoned Armaments

In the brackish sea off the German shoreline lies a collection of World War II explosives, torpedoes and naval mines. Dumped from boats at the conclusion of the World War II and neglected, thousands explosives have fused into clusters over the decades. They form a rusting layer on the low-depth, muddy seafloor of the Bay of Lübeck in the western part of the Baltic Sea.

Over the years, the wartime weapons was ignored and neglected. A increasing amount of tourists flocked to the sandy beaches and tranquil sea for water sports, kite surfing and entertainment venues. Beneath the surface, the weapons deteriorated.

We initially anticipated to see a desert, with no life because it was all toxic, explains a scientist.

When the team went looking to see what they were affecting to the ecosystem, researchers expected to see a lifeless zone, with no life because it was all toxic, explains Andrey Vedenin.

What they found surprised them. Vedenin recalls his colleagues exclaiming in amazement when the submersible first sent the images back. It was a remarkable experience, he says.

Numerous of marine animals had established habitats amid the weapons, creating a revitalized marine community richer than the ocean bottom surrounding it.

This marine city was proof to the tenacity of life. Indeed astonishing how much marine organisms we find in areas that are considered hazardous and risky, he states.

In excess of 40 starfish had clustered on to one exposed piece of TNT. They were residing on iron containers, ignition chambers and storage boxes just centimetres from its dangerous content. Fish, crustaceans, sea anemones and mussels were all observed on the discarded explosives. It's similar to a coral reef in terms of the amount of creatures that was there, says Vedenin.

Unexpected Population Density

An mean of more than forty thousand animals were residing on every square metre of the weapons, scientists reported in their research on the observation. The nearby seabed was much less diverse, with only 8,000 organisms on every square metre.

It is ironic that items that are meant to eliminate all life are attracting so much marine organisms, states Vedenin. You can see how nature adjusts after a devastating occurrence such as the second world war and how, in some way, life finds its way to the most hazardous locations.

Man-made Features as Ocean Environments

Man-made features such as shipwrecks, wind turbines, oil rigs and pipelines can create replacements, replacing some of the destroyed marine environment. This research shows that weapons could be equally advantageous – the explosion of marine organisms on those in the Bay of Lübeck is likely to be repeated in other locations.

Between 1946 and 1948, 1.6 million tons of weapons were discarded off the German coast. Countless of workers loaded them in boats; a portion were dropped in designated sites, the remainder just discarded at sea while traveling. This is the first time experts have studied how ocean organisms has reacted.

Global Instances of Marine Adaptation

• In the United States, decommissioned drilling platforms have turned into coral reefs
• Shipwrecks from the World War I have become environments for wildlife along the Potomac in Maryland
• Tank tracks that have become home to reef-building organisms off Asan beach in Guam

These areas become even more crucial for organisms as the marine environments are increasingly stripped by commercial fishing, bottom trawling and anchoring. Sunken ships and explosive disposal locations essentially function as protected areas – they are not national parks, but almost any kind of human activity is prohibited, states Vedenin. As a result a many of marine species that are otherwise uncommon or decreasing, such as the cod fish, are flourishing.

Coming Considerations

Anywhere military conflict has taken place in the past 100 years, surrounding seas are typically strewn with munitions, explains Vedenin. Many millions of tonnes of dangerous substances rest in our marine environments.

The positions of these explosives are poorly mapped, partly because of international boundaries, secret defense data and the reality that records are buried in old files. They present an explosion and security risk, as well as danger from the ongoing leakage of poisonous compounds.

As the German government and other countries begin extracting these artifacts, scientists aim to protect the marine communities that have developed in their vicinity. In the Bay of Lübeck munitions are already being removed.

It would be wise to substitute these metal carcasses remaining from munitions with some more secure, some harmless structures, like possibly concrete structures, says Vedenin.

He now hopes that what occurs in Lübeck sets a precedent for replacing habitats after explosive extraction in different areas – because including the most damaging weaponry can become scaffolding for ocean ecosystems.