Nazi Explosives, Torpedoes and Naval Mines: How Marine Life Thrives on Dumped Weapons

In the slightly salty sea off the Germany's coast rests a graveyard of Nazi bombs, torpedoes and naval mines. Discarded from barges at the conclusion of the second world war and left behind, thousands weapons have fused into clusters over the decades. They comprise a corroding layer on the shallow, silty seafloor of the Bay of Lübeck in the western tip of the Baltic.

Over the decades, the wartime weapons was ignored and neglected. A growing number of visitors came to the sandy beaches and tranquil sea for jetskiing, kite surfing and amusement parks. Below the waves, the weapons decayed.

Researchers thought to see a lifeless zone, with no organisms because it was all contaminated, states the lead researcher.

When the initial researchers went searching to see what they were doing to the marine environment, researchers expected to see a desert, with no life because it was all toxic, states Andrey Vedenin.

What they discovered surprised them. Vedenin recalls his colleagues shouting with surprise when the submersible first relayed pictures. It was a memorable occasion, he notes.

Numerous of ocean life had settled on the munitions, developing a revitalized habitat more populous than the seabed around it.

This ocean community was testament to the tenacity of life. Truly surprising how much marine organisms we discover in areas that are considered hazardous and harmful, he states.

In excess of 40 sea stars had piled on to one accessible fragment of explosive material. They were living on metal shells, fuse pockets and transport cases just centimetres from its dangerous content. Marine fish, crustaceans, anemones and mussels were all observed on the old munitions. You could compare it with a reef ecosystem in terms of the abundance of creatures that was inhabiting the area, states Vedenin.

Remarkable Population Density

An average of more than 40,000 animals were residing on every square metre of the weapons, experts documented in their paper on the finding. 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 kill all life are hosting so much life, states Vedenin. You can see how the natural world adapts after a major disaster such as the World War II and how, in certain respects, life returns to the most hazardous places.

Man-made Structures as Ocean Habitats

Artificial structures such as shipwrecks, wind turbines, drilling platforms and pipelines can create replacements, restoring some of the destroyed marine environment. This study reveals that munitions could be comparably positive – the explosion of life on those in the Bay of Lübeck is probable to be duplicated elsewhere.

Between 1946 and the post-war period, 1.6 million tons of arms were discarded off the German coast. Thousands of individuals transported them in boats; some were placed in allocated locations, the remainder just discarded at sea while traveling. This is the initial instance scientists have documented how ocean organisms has adapted.

Global Instances of Marine Transformation

• In the United States, decommissioned drilling platforms have transformed into coral reefs
• Submerged vessels from the World War I have become environments for wildlife along the Potomac River in the state of Maryland
• Tank tracks that have become habitat to coral off Asan beach in Guam

These places become even more important for marine life as the oceans are increasingly depleted by fishing, bottom trawling and boat mooring. Sunken ships and munitions areas practically act as refuges – they are not national parks, but almost any kind of human activity is prohibited, explains Vedenin. Consequently a many of organisms that are typically uncommon or decreasing, such as the Baltic cod, are flourishing.

Coming Considerations

Anywhere warfare has occurred in the last century, surrounding seas are often strewn with explosives, explains Vedenin. Millions of tonnes of dangerous substances remain in our oceans.

The locations of these munitions are insufficiently documented, in part because of international boundaries, classified military information and the situation that archives are buried in historical records. They pose an explosion and security risk, as well as threat from the continuous emission of poisonous compounds.

As Germany and additional nations start removing these artifacts, experts plan to preserve the marine communities that have established around them. In the Lübeck Bay explosives are already being extracted.

It would be wise to replace these steel remains originating from weapons with certain more secure, some safe structures, like possibly man-made habitats, states Vedenin.

He presently hopes that what occurs in the Bay of Lübeck sets a example for substituting material after explosive extraction in different areas – because even the most harmful weaponry can become foundation for marine organisms.