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

In the brackish waters off the German shoreline lies a collection of Nazi bombs, torpedoes and naval mines. Thrown off vessels at the conclusion of the second world war and left behind, thousands explosives have become matted together over the years. They comprise a corroding blanket on the low-depth, silty seafloor of the Lübeck Bay in the western tip of the Baltic.

Over the decades, the Nazi arsenal was overlooked and neglected. A growing number of tourists traveled to the sandy beaches and calm waters for jetskiing, kiteboarding and amusement parks. Below the waves, the weapons eroded.

We initially expected to see a desert, with no life because it was all poisoned, says a scientist.

When the first scientists went searching to see what they were doing to the ecosystem, researchers expected to see a lifeless zone, with no organisms because it was all poisoned, states the lead researcher.

What they observed surprised them. Vedenin recalls his colleagues exclaiming in amazement when the underwater vehicle first sent the images back. That moment was a great moment, he says.

Countless of sea creatures had established habitats amid the munitions, creating a regenerated marine community more populous than the ocean bottom around it.

This marine city was evidence to the resilience of life. Truly astonishing how much marine organisms we discover in areas that are considered toxic and harmful, he states.

Over 40 starfish had clustered on to one accessible fragment of explosive material. They were living on metal shells, ignition chambers and carrying containers just centimetres from its dangerous content. Marine fish, crabs, sea anemones and bivalves were all found on the discarded explosives. It resembles a reef ecosystem in terms of the amount of animal life that was there, notes Vedenin.

Remarkable Creature Concentration

An average of more than forty thousand creatures were residing on every square metre of the munitions, scientists reported in their paper on the discovery. The adjacent region was much less diverse, with only eight thousand creatures on every square metre.

It is ironic that items that are intended to kill all life are hosting so much life, says Vedenin. It's evident how the natural world adapts after a devastating occurrence such as the World War II and how, in certain respects, marine life establishes itself to the most dangerous areas.

Man-made Structures as Ocean Habitats

Man-made constructions such as sunken vessels, offshore windfarms, drilling platforms and pipelines can offer replacements, restoring some of the removed marine environment. This study reveals that explosives could be comparably advantageous – the bloom of life on those in the Bay of Lübeck is probable to be found in other locations.

Between the late 1940s and the post-war period, 1.6 million tonnes of weapons were dumped off the German coast. Numerous of workers transported them in vessels; some were deposited in designated sites, others just discarded at sea during transport. This is the initial instance scientists have documented how ocean organisms has reacted.

Global Instances of Marine Adaptation

• In the US, retired oil and gas structures have become marine habitats
• Shipwrecks from the first world war have become habitats for wildlife along the Potomac River in the state of Maryland
• Military vehicle parts that have become habitat to reef-building organisms off Asan in Guam

These areas become even more important for wildlife as the oceans are increasingly denuded by fishing, bottom trawling and anchoring. Shipwrecks and explosive disposal locations effectively act as sanctuaries – they are not official reserves, but almost any kind of anthropogenic disturbance is restricted, says Vedenin. Consequently a numerous of species that are usually rare or decreasing, such as the Baltic cod, are thriving.

Future Considerations

Anywhere warfare has occurred in the last century, adjacent waters are typically strewn with munitions, says Vedenin. Millions of tonnes of volatile compounds rest in our oceans.

The positions of these weapons are inadequately mapped, in part because of sovereign limits, secret armed forces records and the fact that records are hidden in old files. They pose an explosion and safety risk, as well as risk from the ongoing release of hazardous substances.

As Germany and different states start removing these remains, experts hope to safeguard the ecosystems that have developed nearby. In the Bay of Lübeck explosives are already being removed.

We should replace these iron structures originating from munitions with some safer, some harmless objects, like possibly artificial reefs, says Vedenin.

He now aspires that what occurs in Lübeck sets a precedent for substituting material after munitions removal in other locations – because including the most harmful armaments can become framework for ocean ecosystems.