World War II Munitions, Torpedo Heads and Naval Mines: The Way Ocean Creatures Prosper on Dumped Weapons

In the brackish sea off the Germany's coast lies a wasteland of Nazi bombs, torpedoes and mines. Dumped from vessels at the conclusion of the second world war and left behind, thousands weapons have accumulated over the years. They comprise a corroding layer on the shallow, muddy ocean floor of the Bay of Lübeck in the western part of the Baltic Sea.

Over the years, the wartime weapons was ignored and neglected. A increasing amount of visitors traveled to the sandy beaches and calm waters for water sports, kite surfing and entertainment venues. Beneath the surface, the munitions decayed.

We initially thought to see a barren area, with nothing living there because it was all toxic, explains a scientist.

When the first scientists went investigating to see what they were affecting to the marine environment, the team thought they would find a desert, with nothing living there because it was all contaminated, explains Andrey Vedenin.

What they found surprised them. Vedenin remembers his scientists exclaiming in amazement when the underwater vehicle first transmitted footage. That moment was a memorable occasion, he notes.

Thousands of marine animals had settled among the munitions, developing a regenerated ecosystem more populous than the ocean bottom around it.

This underwater metropolis was evidence to the resilience of marine life. It is actually remarkable how much marine organisms we find in areas that are supposed to be dangerous and risky, he explains.

Over 40 starfish had gathered on to one exposed piece of explosive material. They were residing on steel casings, ignition chambers and carrying containers just centimetres from its dangerous content. Fish, crustaceans, sea anemones and bivalves were all found on the discarded explosives. It's similar to a marine reef in terms of the quantity of fauna that was present, notes Vedenin.

Remarkable Population Density

An mean of more than 40,000 creatures were residing on every meter squared of the explosives, scientists wrote in their study on the discovery. The surrounding area was much less diverse, with only eight thousand creatures on every square metre.

It is ironic that items that are meant to destroy all life are attracting so much life, states Vedenin. It's evident how the natural world adjusts after a catastrophic event such as the second world war and how, in some way, marine life establishes itself to the most hazardous places.

Man-made Features as Marine Habitats

Man-made features such as sunken vessels, offshore windfarms, oil rigs and pipelines can create alternatives, restoring some of the destroyed habitat. This research demonstrates that munitions could be similarly positive – the bloom of life on those in the Bay of Lübeck is likely to be found in different areas.

Between 1946 and the post-war period, 1.6 million tons of arms were discarded off the German shoreline. Thousands of individuals loaded them in barges; some were placed in specific sites, others just dumped during transport. This is the initial instance researchers have recorded how ocean organisms has adapted.

Global Instances of Marine Transformation

• In the United States, decommissioned energy installations have turned into reef ecosystems
• Shipwrecks from the World War I have become habitats for marine life along the Potomac in Maryland
• Military vehicle parts that have become environment to reef-building organisms off Asan in Guam

These locations become even more valuable for wildlife as the marine environments are increasingly stripped by fishing, bottom trawling and boat mooring. Sunken ships and explosive disposal locations essentially serve as sanctuaries – they are not national parks, but nearly any kind of human activity is prohibited, states Vedenin. Therefore a numerous of species that are otherwise rare or diminishing, such as the Baltic cod, are prospering.

Coming Factors

Wherever armed conflict has happened in the last century, surrounding seas are usually containing weapons, states Vedenin. Millions of tons of explosive material lie in our oceans.

The positions of these explosives are poorly mapped, partly because of international boundaries, secret military information and the situation that records are hidden in historical records. They present an explosion and security danger, as well as danger from the persistent leakage of poisonous compounds.

As Germany and other countries embark on removing these relics, researchers hope to preserve the ecosystems that have developed in their vicinity. In the Lübeck Bay explosives are currently being extracted.

It would be wise to substitute these iron structures left from munitions with some less dangerous, various harmless objects, like possibly man-made habitats, states Vedenin.

He now wishes that what transpires in Lübeck creates a example for substituting structures after munitions removal elsewhere – because even the most harmful weaponry can become framework for ocean ecosystems.