World War II Munitions, Torpedo Heads and Mines: How Ocean Creatures Prosper on Abandoned Weapons

In the brackish sea off the German shoreline sits a collection of World War II explosives, torpedo heads and naval mines. Dumped from barges at the end of the World War II and left behind, numerous munitions have accumulated over the decades. They comprise a corroding carpet on the low-depth, muddy seafloor of the Bay of Lübeck in the western tip of the Baltic.

Over the years, the Nazi arsenal was overlooked and neglected. A growing number of visitors flocked to the coastal areas and calm waters for water sports, kiteboarding and entertainment venues. Below the waves, the weapons decayed.

We initially expected to see a barren area, with nothing living there because it was all poisoned, states Andrey Vedenin.

When the team went searching to see what they were doing to the marine environment, the team expected to see a lifeless zone, with nothing living there because it was all toxic, states the lead researcher.

What they discovered surprised them. Vedenin recalls his scientists exclaiming in amazement when the submersible first sent the images back. That moment was a great moment, he recalls.

Numerous of ocean life had settled on the munitions, forming a revitalized ecosystem richer than the sea floor around it.

This underwater metropolis was testament to the persistence of marine life. Indeed remarkable how much life we discover in locations that are considered toxic and risky, he states.

More than 40 starfish had clustered on to one exposed piece of TNT. They were residing on iron containers, detonator compartments and storage boxes just a short distance from its explosive filling. Marine fish, crabs, anemones and mussels were all found on the historic weapons. It's similar to a coral reef in terms of the quantity of animal life that was inhabiting the area, states Vedenin.

Remarkable Creature Concentration

An mean of more than 40,000 organisms were living on every meter squared of the explosives, scientists documented in their study on the observation. The surrounding area was much sparser, with only 8,000 creatures on every meter squared.

It is ironic that items that are meant to eliminate all life are attracting so much marine organisms, says Vedenin. It's evident how the natural world adapts after a devastating occurrence such as the World War II and how, in some way, life returns to the most risky places.

Man-made Structures as Ocean Environments

Man-made constructions such as sunken vessels, wind turbines, drilling platforms and pipelines can create substitutes, restoring some of the destroyed habitat. This investigation shows that weapons could be equally advantageous – the proliferation of life on those in the Lübeck Bay is expected to be found in different areas.

Between 1946 and the post-war period, 1.6 million tonnes of munitions were discarded off the Germany's shoreline. Countless of workers placed them in boats; a portion were dropped in specific areas, the remainder just thrown overboard during transport. This is the first time scientists have studied how marine life has adapted.

Global Examples of Marine Transformation

• In the United States, decommissioned oil and gas structures have turned into coral reefs
• Shipwrecks from the first world war have become habitats for marine life along the Potomac River in Maryland
• Military vehicle parts that have become home to reef-building organisms off Asan in Guam

These areas become even more important for organisms as the seas are increasingly stripped by fishing, seafloor dredging and anchoring. Shipwrecks and munitions areas essentially act as protected areas – they are not national parks, but almost any kind of human activity is banned, states Vedenin. Consequently a numerous of marine species that are typically rare or decreasing, such as the Baltic cod, are thriving.

Coming Factors

Anywhere military conflict has occurred in the recent history, nearby oceans are often strewn with weapons, says Vedenin. Millions of tonnes of dangerous substances lie in our marine environments.

The sites of these weapons are insufficiently recorded, in part because of sovereign limits, secret defense data and the situation that documents are hidden in old files. They pose an detonation and security risk, as well as risk from the persistent leakage of toxic chemicals.

As Germany and additional nations start extracting these remains, scientists hope to preserve the habitats that have developed in their vicinity. In the Bay of Lübeck munitions are presently being extracted.

Researchers recommend replace these iron structures originating from weapons with certain less dangerous, some non-dangerous objects, like maybe concrete structures, suggests Vedenin.

He currently hopes that what transpires in Lübeck sets a example for replacing habitats after weapon clearance in other locations – because including the most damaging explosives can become framework for ocean ecosystems.