World War II Munitions, Torpedoes and Mines: The Way Ocean Creatures Prosper on Discarded Weapons

In the slightly salty waters off the German shoreline lies a wasteland of Nazi bombs, torpedoes and mines. Dumped from barges at the end of the World War II and neglected, thousands explosives have accumulated over the decades. They comprise a corroding carpet on the low-depth, silty ocean floor of the Lübeck Bay in the western tip of the Baltic Sea.

Over the decades, the explosive stockpile was ignored and neglected. A increasing amount of visitors traveled to the sandy beaches and tranquil sea for jetskiing, kite surfing and entertainment venues. Underwater, the weapons deteriorated.

Researchers thought to see a desert, with no organisms because it was all toxic, explains the lead researcher.

When the initial researchers went searching to see what they were doing to the ecosystem, researchers expected to see a lifeless zone, with no life because it was all toxic, says Andrey Vedenin.

What they discovered amazed them. Vedenin remembers his scientists exclaiming in amazement when the submersible first sent the images back. It was a memorable occasion, he recalls.

Countless of ocean life had made their homes among the explosives, developing a revitalized habitat denser than the sea floor nearby.

This underwater metropolis was proof to the resilience of marine life. Indeed astonishing how much life we observe in places that are considered dangerous and risky, he states.

More than 40 starfish had gathered on to one exposed chunk of TNT. They were living on steel casings, ignition chambers and carrying containers just a short distance from its volatile core. Fish, crabs, anemones and bivalves were all found on the old munitions. It's similar to a marine reef in terms of the quantity of animal life that was inhabiting the area, states Vedenin.

Unexpected Population Density

An mean of more than 40,000 organisms were dwelling on every meter squared of the explosives, experts documented in their study on the discovery. The nearby seabed was much poorer in life, with only eight thousand organisms on every square metre.

It is ironic that objects that are meant to destroy all life are drawing so much life, states Vedenin. It's evident how nature evolves after a major disaster such as the second world war and how, in some way, life establishes itself to the most risky locations.

Artificial Features as Ocean Environments

Artificial constructions such as shipwrecks, wind turbines, drilling platforms and pipelines can provide replacements, compensating for some of the lost habitat. This study reveals that weapons could be comparably beneficial – the bloom of marine organisms on those in the Lübeck Bay is expected to be repeated in other locations.

Between the late 1940s and 1948, 1.6m tonnes of munitions were disposed of off the German coast. Countless of individuals loaded them in vessels; a portion were placed in specific areas, the remainder just discarded at sea en route. This is the first time researchers have documented how ocean organisms has adapted.

Global Examples of Marine Adaptation

• In the US, retired drilling platforms have turned into coral reefs
• Submerged vessels from the first world war have become environments for creatures along the Potomac River in Maryland
• Tank tracks that have become habitat to coral off Asan in the Pacific island

These locations become even more crucial for wildlife as the marine environments are increasingly stripped by fishing, seafloor dredging and anchoring. Sunken ships and weapons dump sites essentially act as sanctuaries – they are not official reserves, but virtually any kind of human activity is restricted, explains Vedenin. As a result a many of species that are typically scarce or declining, such as the Baltic cod, are flourishing.

Coming Considerations

Anywhere armed conflict has happened in the recent history, nearby oceans are usually containing munitions, says Vedenin. Many millions of tons of explosive material rest in our oceans.

The sites of these munitions are inadequately documented, partially because of international boundaries, secret armed forces records and the reality that records are buried in old files. They present an detonation and safety risk, as well as risk from the ongoing emission of hazardous substances.

As the German government and other countries embark on extracting these artifacts, researchers hope to preserve the marine communities that have formed nearby. In the Bay of Lübeck explosives are already being cleared.

Researchers recommend substitute these iron structures originating from munitions with some more secure, various non-dangerous materials, like maybe man-made habitats, states Vedenin.

He currently wishes that what transpires in the Bay of Lübeck sets a example for substituting material after explosive extraction in different areas – because even the most harmful armaments can become foundation for ocean ecosystems.