World War II Bombs, Torpedoes and Mines: How Marine Life Thrives on Discarded Weapons

In the brackish sea off the German coast sits a collection of Nazi bombs, torpedo heads and mines. Dumped from boats at the end of the World War II and forgotten about, thousands munitions have fused into clusters over the decades. They form a corroding layer on the low-depth, silty seafloor of the Bay of Lübeck in the western part of the Baltic.

Over the years, the wartime weapons was ignored and neglected. A increasing amount of visitors flocked to the coastal areas and tranquil sea for jetskiing, kiteboarding and amusement parks. Below the waves, the weapons deteriorated.

Some of us anticipated to see a barren area, with nothing living there because it was all toxic, explains the lead researcher.

When the team went investigating to see what they were affecting to the ecosystem, some of us thought they would find a desert, with no life because it was all poisoned, says Andrey Vedenin.

What they found astonished them. Vedenin recalls his team members exclaiming in amazement when the ROV first sent the images back. It was a remarkable experience, he notes.

Thousands of marine animals had established habitats among the explosives, creating a revitalized marine community more populous than the ocean bottom around it.

This ocean community was proof to the resilience of life. Indeed astonishing how much life we observe in locations that are expected to be hazardous and dangerous, he explains.

More than 40 starfish had piled on to one visible chunk of TNT. They were residing on iron containers, ignition chambers and storage boxes just a short distance from its dangerous content. Marine fish, crabs, sea anemones and bivalves were all discovered on the discarded explosives. You could compare it with a coral reef in terms of the abundance of creatures that was present, states Vedenin.

Surprising Creature Concentration

An average of more than 40,000 animals were dwelling on every square metre of the explosives, scientists reported in their research on the finding. The nearby seabed was much sparser, with only 8,000 individuals on every square metre.

It is ironic that things that are intended to eliminate everything are attracting so much life, states Vedenin. You can see how nature adjusts after a catastrophic event such as the World War II and how, in some way, life finds its way to the most hazardous locations.

Man-made Structures as Ocean Habitats

Man-made structures such as shipwrecks, offshore windfarms, oil rigs and pipelines can create substitutes, replacing some of the destroyed marine environment. This investigation shows that munitions could be similarly advantageous – the proliferation of marine organisms on those in the Bay of Lübeck is probable to be found in other locations.

Between 1946 and the post-war period, 1.6 million tons of munitions were disposed of off the German coast. Countless of individuals placed them in barges; a portion were dropped in specific locations, others just thrown overboard en route. This is the first time scientists have documented how ocean organisms has reacted.

Worldwide Examples of Ocean Adaptation

• In the United States, decommissioned oil and gas structures have transformed into reef ecosystems
• Shipwrecks from the first world war have become habitats for creatures along the Potomac in the state of Maryland
• Military vehicle parts that have become home to coral off Asan in the Pacific island

These places become even more important for wildlife as the seas are increasingly stripped by commercial fishing, bottom trawling and anchoring. Shipwrecks and munitions areas effectively function as protected areas – they are not national parks, but virtually any kind of anthropogenic disturbance is prohibited, states Vedenin. Consequently a lot of marine species that are typically uncommon or declining, such as the cod fish, are flourishing.

Future Considerations

Wherever military conflict has occurred in the last century, adjacent waters are typically containing explosives, says Vedenin. Many millions of tons of volatile compounds rest in our oceans.

The sites of these explosives are insufficiently mapped, partially because of national borders, secret defense data and the reality that records are hidden in historical records. They present an detonation and safety danger, as well as threat from the continuous emission of poisonous compounds.

As the German government and different states begin clearing these remains, scientists aim to safeguard the marine communities that have formed nearby. In the Bay of Lübeck munitions are presently being removed.

Researchers recommend substitute these steel remains left from weapons with certain more secure, some harmless structures, like perhaps concrete structures, states Vedenin.

He currently wishes that what occurs in Lübeck creates a precedent for replacing habitats after explosive extraction elsewhere – because also the most harmful weaponry can become scaffolding for marine organisms.