World War II Explosives, Torpedoes and Naval Mines: How Marine Life Prosper on Abandoned Armaments

In the brackish sea off the German shoreline sits a collection of World War II explosives, torpedo heads and mines. Dumped from barges at the end of the second world war and forgotten about, numerous munitions have fused into clusters over the decades. They form a decaying blanket on the low-depth, muddy seafloor of the Bay of Lübeck in the western tip of the Baltic Sea.

Over the years, the explosive stockpile was ignored and neglected. A increasing amount of visitors came to the sandy beaches and tranquil sea for jetskiing, kiteboarding and entertainment venues. Beneath the surface, the weapons eroded.

Researchers anticipated to see a barren area, with no organisms because it was all toxic, says the lead researcher.

When the initial researchers went looking to see what they were affecting to the marine environment, some of us expected to see a barren area, with no organisms because it was all contaminated, states the lead researcher.

What they observed amazed them. Vedenin recounts his scientists shouting with surprise when the underwater vehicle first transmitted footage. It was a remarkable experience, he notes.

Countless of sea creatures had settled on the munitions, creating a renewed ecosystem richer than the seabed around it.

This marine city was evidence to the persistence of marine life. It is actually surprising how much life we observe in places that are expected to be toxic and risky, he explains.

Over 40 sea stars had gathered on to one visible fragment of TNT. They were dwelling on metal shells, ignition chambers and transport cases just centimetres from its dangerous content. Marine fish, crabs, sea anemones and bivalves were all observed on the discarded explosives. You could compare it with a coral reef in terms of the amount of fauna that was present, says Vedenin.

Surprising Creature Concentration

An mean of more than 40,000 organisms were residing on every square metre of the weapons, experts documented in their research on the discovery. The adjacent region was much sparser, with only eight thousand creatures on every meter squared.

It is surprising that items that are meant to destroy everything are hosting so much life, states Vedenin. You can see how the natural world adapts after a devastating occurrence such as the World War II and how, in certain respects, marine life finds its way to the most dangerous locations.

Artificial Structures as Ocean Environments

Artificial features such as sunken vessels, wind turbines, drilling platforms and undersea pipes can provide alternatives, restoring some of the removed habitat. This investigation shows that munitions could be similarly beneficial – the bloom of marine organisms on those in the Bay of Lübeck is likely to be duplicated elsewhere.

Between 1946 and the post-war period, 1.6m tonnes of arms were disposed of off the German shoreline. Thousands of workers loaded them in vessels; some were dropped in specific areas, the remainder just discarded at sea while traveling. This is the first time experts have studied how ocean organisms has responded.

Global Instances of Ocean Transformation

• In the US, retired oil and gas structures have transformed into reef ecosystems
• Submerged vessels from the first world war have become homes for wildlife along the Potomac in the state of Maryland
• Military vehicle parts that have become environment to coral off Asan in the Pacific island

These locations become even more crucial for marine life as the seas are increasingly stripped by commercial fishing, seafloor dredging and boat mooring. Sunken ships and weapons dump sites practically function as protected areas – they are not national parks, but nearly any kind of human activity is banned, says Vedenin. As a result a lot of species that are usually uncommon or decreasing, such as the cod fish, are thriving.

Coming Issues

Anywhere warfare has taken place in the recent history, nearby oceans are usually littered with munitions, states Vedenin. Millions of tons of dangerous substances lie in our seas.

The sites of these weapons are inadequately recorded, partly because of national borders, secret military information and the fact that documents are stored in historical records. They pose an explosion and safety hazard, as well as risk from the persistent leakage of poisonous compounds.

As the German government and additional nations embark on extracting these artifacts, researchers aim to safeguard the marine communities that have formed nearby. In the Bay of Lübeck munitions are already being cleared.

Researchers recommend substitute these iron structures remaining from weapons with certain more secure, some harmless materials, like perhaps concrete structures, says Vedenin.

He presently hopes that what transpires in Lübeck creates a precedent for replacing habitats after weapon clearance in different areas – because including the most harmful armaments can become scaffolding for ocean ecosystems.