World War II Munitions, Torpedoes and Naval Mines: How Ocean Creatures Thrives on Discarded Weapons

In the brackish sea off the German coast rests a graveyard of World War II explosives, torpedo heads and naval mines. Discarded from vessels at the conclusion of the World War II and forgotten about, thousands munitions have accumulated over the years. They comprise a rusting blanket on the low-depth, silty ocean floor of the Bay of Lübeck in the western tip of the Baltic.

Over the years, the Nazi arsenal was ignored and neglected. A increasing amount of visitors came to the sandy beaches and calm waters for jetskiing, kite surfing and amusement parks. Underwater, the weapons decayed.

Researchers expected to see a barren area, with nothing living there because it was all toxic, explains a scientist.

When the team went investigating to see what they were affecting to the marine environment, some of us anticipated finding a barren area, with nothing living there because it was all poisoned, says a scientist.

What they discovered amazed them. Vedenin recalls his team members exclaiming in amazement when the ROV first relayed pictures. That moment was a remarkable experience, he recalls.

Countless of marine animals had settled amid the weapons, developing a regenerated ecosystem denser than the seabed surrounding it.

This ocean community was testament to the resilience of life. It is actually remarkable how much marine organisms we observe in locations that are considered toxic and harmful, he explains.

Over 40 starfish had piled on to one visible piece of TNT. They were dwelling on iron containers, fuse pockets and storage boxes just a short distance from its volatile core. Marine fish, crustaceans, sea anemones and bivalves were all observed on the historic weapons. It's similar to a coral reef in terms of the abundance of animal life that was present, notes Vedenin.

Remarkable Population Density

An mean of more than forty thousand animals were dwelling on every square metre of the explosives, researchers reported in their study on the discovery. The surrounding area was much poorer in life, with only eight thousand individuals on every meter squared.

It is paradoxical that objects that are meant to eliminate all life are hosting so much life, says Vedenin. One can observe how nature adjusts after a catastrophic event such as the World War II and how, in certain respects, life finds its way to the most risky places.

Man-made Features as Ocean Environments

Artificial features such as sunken vessels, wind turbines, oil rigs and undersea pipes can provide alternatives, compensating for some of the destroyed habitat. This research shows that weapons could be similarly beneficial – the proliferation of marine organisms on those in the Lübeck Bay is expected to be repeated in different areas.

Between the late 1940s and 1948, 1.6m tons of weapons were dumped off the German coast. Thousands of individuals placed them in vessels; a portion were dropped in designated areas, others just dumped while traveling. This is the first time scientists have studied how marine life has responded.

Worldwide Instances of Marine Adaptation

• In the US, retired oil and gas structures have become reef ecosystems
• Sunken ships from the World War I have become habitats for creatures along the Potomac River in Maryland
• Tank tracks that have become habitat to reef-building organisms off Asan in Guam

These locations become even more crucial for wildlife as the marine environments are increasingly depleted by commercial fishing, seafloor dredging and anchoring. Shipwrecks and weapons dump sites practically function as protected areas – they are not national parks, but nearly any kind of human activity is prohibited, states Vedenin. Consequently a many of marine species that are otherwise uncommon or declining, such as the Baltic cod, are thriving.

Future Issues

Anywhere military conflict has taken place in the recent history, surrounding seas are typically littered with weapons, states Vedenin. Millions of tons of volatile compounds lie in our oceans.

The locations of these munitions are poorly mapped, partially because of sovereign limits, restricted defense data and the fact that documents are stored in historical records. They create an detonation and security risk, as well as threat from the ongoing emission of poisonous compounds.

As the German government and other countries begin clearing these relics, experts plan to safeguard the habitats that have developed nearby. In the Bay of Lübeck munitions are already being removed.

Researchers recommend replace these iron structures left from weapons with some less dangerous, various safe materials, like perhaps concrete structures, states Vedenin.

He presently wishes that what happens in the Bay of Lübeck creates a example for replacing material after explosive extraction in other locations – because including the most damaging armaments can become scaffolding for new life.