World War II Explosives, Torpedoes and Naval Mines: How Marine Life Prosper on Dumped Armaments

In the slightly salty sea off the Germany's shoreline lies a collection of World War II explosives, torpedoes and naval mines. Thrown off barges at the end of the World War II and neglected, countless munitions have accumulated over the decades. They comprise a rusting blanket on the low-depth, silty seafloor of the Lübeck Bay in the western part of the Baltic.

Over the decades, the Nazi arsenal was overlooked and neglected. A growing number of tourists traveled to the coastal areas and tranquil sea for water sports, kite surfing and entertainment venues. Beneath the surface, the weapons eroded.

Some of us anticipated to see a desert, with nothing living there because it was all contaminated, explains Andrey Vedenin.

When the initial researchers went searching to see what they were doing to the ecosystem, some of us thought they would find a lifeless zone, with no life because it was all contaminated, says a scientist.

What they discovered amazed them. Vedenin recounts his scientists reacting with shock when the underwater vehicle first transmitted footage. This was a remarkable experience, he recalls.

Numerous of sea creatures had settled amid the weapons, developing a renewed ecosystem richer than the ocean bottom around it.

This ocean community was evidence to the resilience of life. It is actually surprising how much life we find in places that are supposed to be hazardous and dangerous, he says.

Over 40 starfish had gathered on to one visible piece of explosive material. They were living on iron containers, fuse pockets and carrying containers just centimetres from its volatile core. Marine fish, crustaceans, sea anemones and bivalves were all observed on the old munitions. It resembles a marine reef in terms of the abundance of fauna that was inhabiting the area, says Vedenin.

Remarkable Creature Concentration

An mean of more than forty thousand animals were residing on every square metre of the weapons, scientists documented in their research on the observation. The surrounding area was much sparser, with only eight thousand creatures on every meter squared.

It is paradoxical that objects that are intended to eliminate everything are attracting so much life, explains Vedenin. It's evident how nature adjusts after a catastrophic event such as the World War II and how, in some way, life returns to the most hazardous areas.

Artificial Features as Ocean Habitats

Man-made constructions such as shipwrecks, offshore windfarms, drilling platforms and pipelines can provide substitutes, compensating for some of the destroyed habitat. This research shows that munitions could be equally advantageous – the bloom of life on those in the Lübeck Bay is likely to be duplicated elsewhere.

Between the late 1940s and 1948, 1.6 million tons of arms were discarded off the German coast. Numerous of workers placed them in vessels; a portion were placed in specific sites, the remainder just discarded at sea while traveling. This is the initial instance researchers have studied how ocean organisms has responded.

Global Examples of Ocean Adaptation

• In the US, retired oil and gas structures have transformed into coral reefs
• Shipwrecks 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 home to coral off Asan beach in Guam

These locations become even more crucial for wildlife as the oceans are increasingly depleted by fishing, seafloor dredging and anchoring. Shipwrecks and munitions areas effectively function as sanctuaries – they are not official reserves, but almost any kind of human activity is restricted, says Vedenin. Consequently a many of organisms that are usually uncommon or decreasing, such as the Baltic cod, are prospering.

Future Issues

Wherever military conflict has happened in the past 100 years, surrounding seas are typically containing explosives, says Vedenin. Many millions of tonnes of volatile compounds remain in our seas.

The positions of these weapons are inadequately recorded, in part because of international boundaries, secret military information and the fact that documents are stored in old files. They pose an explosion and safety danger, as well as threat from the persistent leakage of hazardous substances.

As Germany and other countries embark on extracting these relics, scientists plan to protect the habitats that have formed in their vicinity. In the Lübeck Bay munitions are already being cleared.

Researchers recommend substitute these steel remains remaining from munitions with some safer, various harmless structures, like maybe concrete structures, says Vedenin.

He now hopes that what transpires in Lübeck establishes a precedent for substituting material after munitions removal in other locations – because also the most damaging armaments can become scaffolding for marine organisms.