World War II Munitions, Torpedo Heads and Mines: The Way Marine Life Thrives on Discarded Armaments

In the brackish waters off the German coast lies a collection of World War II explosives, torpedo heads and naval mines. Thrown off barges at the end of the second world war and left behind, countless explosives have fused into clusters over the years. They create a decaying blanket on the low-depth, muddy seafloor of the Lübeck Bay in the western part of the Baltic Sea.

Over the years, the Nazi arsenal was ignored and forgotten about. A growing number of visitors came to the coastal areas and tranquil sea for jetskiing, kiteboarding and entertainment venues. Below the waves, the weapons eroded.

We initially thought to see a lifeless zone, with no life because it was all toxic, says a scientist.

When the first scientists went looking to see what they were doing to the marine environment, the team anticipated finding a lifeless zone, with nothing living there because it was all contaminated, explains the lead researcher.

What they found surprised them. Vedenin remembers his team members exclaiming in amazement when the submersible first relayed pictures. That moment was a memorable occasion, he notes.

Countless of marine animals had settled among the munitions, forming a regenerated ecosystem denser than the seabed nearby.

This underwater metropolis was evidence to the resilience of life. It is actually remarkable how much marine organisms we discover in areas that are supposed to be dangerous and risky, he explains.

More than 40 starfish had piled on to one visible piece of explosive material. They were living on iron containers, detonator compartments and carrying containers just centimetres from its explosive filling. Fish, crabs, anemones and bivalves were all observed on the historic weapons. It's similar to a marine reef in terms of the abundance of creatures that was present, says Vedenin.

Surprising Population Density

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

It is ironic that items that are meant to eliminate all life are hosting so much life, explains Vedenin. It's evident how the natural world adjusts after a devastating occurrence such as the World War II and how, in certain respects, life returns to the most hazardous places.

Man-made Structures as Ocean Environments

Man-made constructions such as sunken vessels, offshore windfarms, oil rigs and pipelines can provide substitutes, compensating for some of the removed marine environment. This investigation demonstrates that weapons could be comparably beneficial – the bloom of life on those in the Bay of Lübeck is likely to be found in different areas.

Between 1946 and the post-war period, 1.6m tonnes of arms were discarded off the Germany's shoreline. Numerous of workers loaded them in vessels; a portion were placed in specific areas, the remainder just dumped during transport. This is the initial instance scientists have studied how marine life has adapted.

Worldwide Examples of Ocean Adaptation

• In the United States, retired drilling platforms have become marine habitats
• Submerged vessels from the first world war have become homes for marine life along the Potomac River in Maryland
• Military vehicle parts that have become environment to reef-building organisms off Asan beach in Guam

These places become even more crucial for wildlife as the marine environments are increasingly depleted by commercial fishing, seafloor dredging and boat mooring. Sunken ships and munitions areas effectively act as protected areas – they are not official reserves, but virtually any kind of human activity is prohibited, says Vedenin. Consequently a numerous of organisms that are typically scarce or declining, such as the Baltic cod, are thriving.

Coming Considerations

Wherever military conflict has happened in the past 100 years, adjacent waters are typically littered with explosives, says Vedenin. Many millions of tons of volatile compounds rest in our seas.

The positions of these munitions are insufficiently documented, partly because of sovereign limits, classified armed forces records and the situation that records are stored in historic archives. They create an detonation and security risk, as well as risk from the persistent leakage of hazardous substances.

As Germany and other countries start clearing these relics, researchers hope to safeguard the habitats that have established nearby. In the Bay of Lübeck explosives are currently being cleared.

We should replace these iron structures remaining from munitions with certain safer, some safe objects, like maybe concrete structures, states Vedenin.

He now wishes that what happens in Lübeck sets a model for substituting material after munitions removal elsewhere – because also the most damaging explosives can become foundation for ocean ecosystems.