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

In the slightly salty sea off the German shoreline sits a wasteland of World War II explosives, torpedo heads and mines. Thrown off boats at the end of the second world war and neglected, thousands munitions have accumulated over the decades. They create a corroding blanket on the shallow, silty seafloor of the Lübeck Bay in the western part of the Baltic.

Over the years, the Nazi arsenal was overlooked and neglected. A increasing amount of visitors traveled to the coastal areas and tranquil sea for jetskiing, kite surfing and entertainment venues. Beneath the surface, the munitions deteriorated.

Researchers thought to see a lifeless zone, with no organisms because it was all contaminated, says the lead researcher.

When the initial researchers went searching to see what they were doing to the marine environment, the team expected to see a desert, with no organisms because it was all poisoned, explains Andrey Vedenin.

What they discovered surprised them. Vedenin recalls his team members reacting with shock when the submersible first sent the images back. This was a memorable occasion, he recalls.

Thousands of ocean life had made their homes among the explosives, developing a revitalized marine community more populous than the sea floor nearby.

This underwater metropolis was proof to the resilience of marine life. It is actually surprising how much marine organisms we find in places that are expected to be hazardous and risky, he explains.

More than 40 starfish had piled on to one accessible piece of TNT. They were dwelling on metal shells, fuse pockets and storage boxes just a short distance from its volatile core. Marine fish, crustaceans, sea anemones and mussels were all observed on the old munitions. It resembles a marine reef in terms of the abundance of creatures that was present, notes Vedenin.

Remarkable Creature Concentration

An average of more than forty thousand animals were living on every meter squared of the munitions, scientists documented in their research on the discovery. The surrounding area was much poorer in life, with only 8,000 individuals on every meter squared.

It is surprising that things that are intended to destroy everything are drawing so much life, explains Vedenin. One can observe how nature adjusts after a major disaster such as the World War II and how, in some way, life establishes itself to the most hazardous places.

Artificial Structures as Ocean Environments

Man-made features such as shipwrecks, wind turbines, oil rigs and pipelines can create alternatives, compensating for some of the destroyed habitat. This investigation shows that explosives could be similarly positive – the proliferation of life on those in the Bay of Lübeck is likely to be found in other locations.

Between the late 1940s and the post-war period, 1.6m tonnes of weapons were disposed of off the Germany's shoreline. Numerous of individuals transported them in barges; some were deposited in specific areas, the remainder just thrown overboard during transport. This is the initial instance researchers have documented how marine life has responded.

Global Instances of Marine Adaptation

• In the United States, decommissioned energy installations have turned into reef ecosystems
• Submerged vessels from the World War I have become homes for creatures along the Potomac in Maryland
• Tank tracks that have become habitat to coral off Asan in Guam

These areas become even more important for marine life as the marine environments are increasingly depleted by commercial fishing, seafloor dredging and anchoring. Shipwrecks and weapons dump sites essentially serve as refuges – they are not official reserves, but nearly any kind of human activity is restricted, explains Vedenin. As a result a numerous of species that are typically scarce or decreasing, such as the Baltic cod, are prospering.

Coming Factors

Wherever armed conflict has occurred in the recent history, surrounding seas are usually containing munitions, explains Vedenin. Many millions of tonnes of dangerous substances remain in our seas.

The locations of these weapons are inadequately documented, partially because of international boundaries, restricted defense data and the situation that documents are hidden in historical records. They present an detonation and security hazard, as well as danger from the continuous release of hazardous substances.

As Germany and different states begin extracting these remains, experts plan to protect the marine communities that have developed around them. In the Bay of Lübeck munitions are presently being cleared.

Researchers recommend substitute these metal carcasses originating from weapons with certain more secure, some non-dangerous objects, like maybe artificial reefs, states Vedenin.

He now aspires that what transpires in the Bay of Lübeck creates a example for replacing structures after explosive extraction in different areas – because also the most damaging armaments can become framework for marine organisms.