World War II Bombs, Torpedo Heads and Naval Mines: The Way Marine Life Prosper on Dumped Weapons

In the slightly salty sea off the Germany's coast rests a graveyard of World War II explosives, torpedo heads and naval mines. Discarded from boats at the end of the second world war and left behind, countless munitions have accumulated over the years. They create a decaying layer on the low-depth, muddy ocean floor of the Lübeck Bay 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 jetskiing, kite surfing and entertainment venues. Below the waves, the weapons decayed.

Some of us anticipated to see a barren area, with no organisms because it was all contaminated, explains the lead researcher.

When the team went investigating to see what they were affecting to the marine environment, researchers expected to see a lifeless zone, with no organisms because it was all toxic, states a scientist.

What they found astonished them. Vedenin remembers his scientists exclaiming in amazement when the underwater vehicle first relayed pictures. That moment was a remarkable experience, he recalls.

Numerous of ocean life had made their homes amid the weapons, creating a revitalized habitat more populous than the ocean bottom surrounding it.

This underwater metropolis was proof to the persistence of life. Indeed astonishing how much marine organisms we observe in locations that are considered hazardous and harmful, he says.

Over 40 sea stars had piled on to one exposed fragment of explosive material. They were living on steel casings, detonator compartments and carrying containers just centimetres from its explosive filling. Marine fish, crustaceans, anemones and bivalves were all discovered on the historic weapons. It resembles a reef ecosystem in terms of the amount of animal life that was present, states Vedenin.

Unexpected Population Density

An average of more than 40,000 organisms were dwelling on every square metre of the weapons, scientists reported in their research on the discovery. The adjacent region was much less diverse, with only eight thousand individuals on every square metre.

It is surprising that items that are intended to kill all life are hosting so much marine organisms, states Vedenin. One can observe how the natural world evolves after a devastating occurrence such as the World War II and how, in certain respects, marine life returns to the most dangerous places.

Artificial Features as Marine Environments

Man-made constructions such as shipwrecks, wind turbines, drilling platforms and undersea pipes can create alternatives, replacing some of the removed habitat. This study shows that munitions could be equally positive – the proliferation of marine organisms on those in the Lübeck Bay is likely to be repeated in other locations.

Between the late 1940s and 1948, 1.6m tonnes of munitions were discarded off the Germany's shoreline. Numerous of workers transported them in boats; some were deposited in specific sites, others just dumped en route. This is the first time scientists have documented how ocean organisms has adapted.

Worldwide Examples of Marine Adaptation

• In the United States, decommissioned oil and gas structures have become coral reefs
• Submerged vessels from the first world war have become environments for marine life along the Potomac in the state of Maryland
• Military vehicle parts that have become environment to reef-building organisms off Asan in the Pacific island

These locations become even more crucial for organisms as the marine environments are increasingly depleted by commercial fishing, seafloor dredging and anchoring. Sunken ships and explosive disposal locations practically act as sanctuaries – they are not official reserves, but nearly any kind of human activity is restricted, says Vedenin. Therefore a numerous of marine species that are typically uncommon or diminishing, such as the Baltic cod, are prospering.

Coming Factors

Anywhere warfare has taken place in the last century, surrounding seas are usually containing explosives, says Vedenin. Many millions of tonnes of volatile compounds lie in our oceans.

The sites of these munitions are inadequately mapped, partially because of national borders, classified defense data and the reality that archives are hidden in historical records. They present an detonation and security risk, as well as risk from the ongoing emission of hazardous substances.

As Germany and different states start extracting these relics, experts aim to protect the habitats that have established nearby. In the Bay of Lübeck munitions are currently being removed.

It would be wise to replace these iron structures remaining from munitions with certain safer, various safe objects, like maybe artificial reefs, suggests Vedenin.

He presently aspires that what occurs in Lübeck establishes a precedent for substituting habitats after weapon clearance in different areas – because even the most damaging explosives can become scaffolding for marine organisms.