Nazi Munitions, Torpedoes and Mines: The Way Marine Life Thrives on Abandoned Weapons

In the slightly salty waters off the German coast lies a wasteland of World War II explosives, torpedo heads and mines. Thrown off boats at the conclusion of the second world war and neglected, numerous explosives have accumulated over the decades. They form a corroding blanket on the low-depth, muddy seafloor of the Bay of Lübeck in the western part of the Baltic.

Over the years, the explosive stockpile was overlooked and forgotten about. A growing number of visitors traveled to the coastal areas and tranquil sea for water sports, kiteboarding and entertainment venues. Below the waves, the weapons decayed.

We initially expected to see a barren area, with no life because it was all contaminated, says a scientist.

When the initial researchers went investigating to see what they were doing to the ecosystem, the team anticipated finding a desert, with nothing living there because it was all poisoned, states Andrey Vedenin.

What they discovered astonished them. Vedenin remembers his colleagues exclaiming in amazement when the submersible first transmitted footage. This was a great moment, he says.

Countless of ocean life had made their homes on the weapons, developing a revitalized habitat denser than the ocean bottom around it.

This marine city was proof to the tenacity of marine life. Truly surprising how much marine organisms we observe in places that are expected to be toxic and risky, he explains.

Over 40 starfish had piled on to one exposed chunk of explosive material. They were living on metal shells, ignition chambers and storage boxes just centimetres from its dangerous content. Marine fish, crustaceans, sea anemones and mussels were all found on the discarded explosives. It's similar to a reef ecosystem in terms of the quantity of fauna that was present, states Vedenin.

Remarkable Creature Concentration

An mean of more than 40,000 animals were residing on every square metre of the weapons, researchers documented in their paper on the finding. The surrounding area was much poorer in life, with only 8,000 creatures on every meter squared.

It is surprising that items that are intended to eliminate everything are hosting so much life, explains Vedenin. One can observe how the natural world adapts after a catastrophic event such as the second world war and how, in certain respects, life finds its way to the most risky areas.

Artificial Structures as Ocean Habitats

Man-made features such as shipwrecks, offshore windfarms, oil rigs and pipelines can create substitutes, restoring some of the destroyed habitat. This research reveals that munitions could be comparably positive – the proliferation of life on those in the Bay of Lübeck is probable to be found in different areas.

Between the late 1940s and the post-war period, 1.6m tonnes of munitions were discarded off the Germany's shoreline. Numerous of individuals transported them in barges; a portion were dropped in designated areas, the remainder just thrown overboard while traveling. This is the initial instance scientists have documented how ocean organisms has responded.

Global Examples of Marine Adaptation

• In the US, decommissioned oil and gas structures have become coral reefs
• Submerged vessels from the World War I have become environments for marine life along the Potomac River in the state of Maryland
• Military vehicle parts that have become home to reef-building organisms off Asan beach in the Pacific island

These locations become even more crucial for marine life as the oceans are increasingly stripped by commercial fishing, seafloor dredging and boat mooring. Sunken ships and munitions areas essentially serve as refuges – they are not national parks, but nearly any kind of human activity is prohibited, says Vedenin. Consequently a lot of organisms that are usually scarce or decreasing, such as the Baltic cod, are prospering.

Future Issues

Anywhere armed conflict has occurred in the recent history, nearby oceans are usually littered with explosives, states Vedenin. Many millions of tons of volatile compounds remain in our seas.

The locations of these explosives are inadequately mapped, in part because of sovereign limits, secret military information and the situation that records are stored in old files. They pose an detonation and security hazard, as well as danger from the ongoing release of hazardous substances.

As Germany and additional nations embark on removing these remains, scientists hope to preserve the ecosystems that have developed around them. In the Bay of Lübeck weapons are presently being cleared.

It would be wise to substitute these steel remains remaining from weapons with certain more secure, some safe materials, like perhaps artificial reefs, suggests Vedenin.

He now aspires that what happens in Lübeck establishes a precedent for replacing material after weapon clearance in different areas – because also the most destructive armaments can become foundation for marine organisms.