Nazi Munitions, Torpedoes and Mines: The Way Marine Life Thrives on Discarded Weapons

In the slightly salty sea off the Germany's coast sits a wasteland of World War II explosives, torpedo heads and mines. Dumped from boats at the conclusion of the World War II and left behind, thousands explosives have become matted together over the decades. They comprise a corroding blanket on the shallow, silty ocean floor of the Bay of Lübeck in the western part of the Baltic.

Over the decades, the explosive stockpile was overlooked and neglected. A growing number of tourists traveled to the coastal areas and calm waters for jetskiing, kite surfing and amusement parks. Below the waves, the munitions deteriorated.

Researchers expected to see a barren area, with no life because it was all contaminated, says Andrey Vedenin.

When the initial researchers went looking to see what they were affecting to the marine environment, some of us thought they would find a lifeless zone, with no life because it was all toxic, says Andrey Vedenin.

What they found surprised them. Vedenin recounts his scientists shouting with surprise when the ROV first transmitted footage. It was a memorable occasion, he says.

Thousands of ocean life had made their homes amid the munitions, developing a regenerated marine community denser than the seabed nearby.

This marine city was proof to the resilience of life. Truly remarkable how much marine organisms we observe in areas that are expected to be hazardous and risky, he states.

Over 40 sea stars had piled on to one exposed fragment of explosive material. They were residing on metal shells, detonator compartments and transport cases just a short distance from its dangerous content. Fish, crustaceans, anemones and bivalves were all discovered on the old munitions. You could compare it with a reef ecosystem in terms of the abundance of animal life that was present, states Vedenin.

Remarkable Creature Concentration

An average of more than 40,000 organisms were dwelling on every square metre of the explosives, experts reported in their research on the discovery. The nearby seabed was much sparser, with only 8,000 individuals on every meter squared.

It is ironic that things that are meant to destroy everything are attracting so much marine organisms, explains Vedenin. One can observe 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 places.

Man-made Features as Marine Environments

Artificial constructions such as sunken vessels, offshore windfarms, oil rigs and undersea pipes can provide alternatives, restoring some of the destroyed marine environment. This research reveals that munitions could be comparably positive – the bloom of life on those in the Bay of Lübeck is probable to be duplicated elsewhere.

Between 1946 and the post-war period, 1.6m tons of arms were dumped off the Germany's coast. Numerous of individuals loaded them in boats; some were placed in specific areas, the remainder just discarded at sea during transport. This is the initial instance researchers have studied how ocean organisms has adapted.

Worldwide Examples of Marine Transformation

• In the United States, retired oil and gas structures have become marine habitats
• Submerged vessels from the World War I have become environments for creatures along the Potomac River in the state of Maryland
• Military vehicle parts that have become home to coral off Asan beach in Guam

These places become even more valuable for marine life as the marine environments are increasingly stripped by fishing, seafloor dredging and anchoring. Sunken ships and explosive disposal locations practically act as sanctuaries – they are not official reserves, but almost any kind of anthropogenic disturbance is prohibited, says Vedenin. Therefore a lot of species that are usually uncommon or diminishing, such as the cod fish, are prospering.

Coming Factors

Wherever military conflict has occurred in the recent history, surrounding seas are usually strewn with explosives, says Vedenin. Many millions of tonnes of explosive material rest in our seas.

The positions of these munitions are insufficiently recorded, partly because of national borders, classified defense data and the reality that records are stored in old files. They pose an detonation and safety risk, as well as threat from the continuous leakage of toxic chemicals.

As Germany and other countries begin removing these relics, researchers aim to safeguard the marine communities that have formed in their vicinity. In the Bay of Lübeck munitions are presently being extracted.

It would be wise to substitute these metal carcasses remaining from munitions with certain less dangerous, various safe objects, like maybe man-made habitats, states Vedenin.

He now aspires that what happens in the Bay of Lübeck establishes a precedent for substituting material after munitions removal elsewhere – because including the most harmful armaments can become framework for ocean ecosystems.