World War II Munitions, Torpedoes and Mines: How Marine Life Flourishes on Abandoned Weapons

In the brackish waters off the German coast rests a collection of World War II explosives, torpedo heads and naval mines. Thrown off barges at the end of the second world war and left behind, numerous weapons have accumulated over the years. They create a corroding carpet on the low-depth, silty seafloor of the Lübeck Bay in the western tip of the Baltic Sea.

Over the years, the Nazi arsenal was overlooked and forgotten about. A growing number of visitors flocked to the coastal areas and tranquil sea for jetskiing, kiteboarding and amusement parks. Below the waves, the weapons deteriorated.

Researchers anticipated to see a desert, with no organisms because it was all poisoned, says Andrey Vedenin.

When the first scientists went looking to see what they were doing to the ecosystem, the team anticipated finding a lifeless zone, with no life because it was all contaminated, says Andrey Vedenin.

What they found astonished them. Vedenin recounts his team members exclaiming in amazement when the underwater vehicle first sent the images back. This was a memorable occasion, he notes.

Numerous of ocean life had made their homes on the munitions, forming a regenerated marine community more populous than the ocean bottom nearby.

This ocean community was testament to the persistence of marine life. Indeed surprising how much marine organisms we observe in areas that are supposed to be dangerous and risky, he explains.

Over 40 starfish had clustered on to one exposed piece of explosive material. They were dwelling on metal shells, ignition chambers and carrying containers just centimetres from its explosive filling. Marine fish, crabs, sea anemones and bivalves were all found on the old munitions. It's similar to a reef ecosystem in terms of the abundance of fauna that was present, notes Vedenin.

Unexpected Creature Concentration

An mean of more than 40,000 creatures were residing on every meter squared of the munitions, researchers reported in their study on the observation. The nearby seabed was much poorer in life, with only eight thousand individuals on every square metre.

It is surprising that things that are designed to eliminate everything are attracting so much marine organisms, states Vedenin. One can observe how the natural world adjusts after a major disaster such as the second world war and how, in certain respects, life finds its way to the most hazardous areas.

Artificial Structures as Ocean Habitats

Artificial constructions such as sunken vessels, offshore windfarms, oil rigs and undersea pipes can offer alternatives, compensating for some of the removed marine environment. This investigation shows that weapons could be similarly advantageous – the bloom of life on those in the Bay of Lübeck is likely to be duplicated in different areas.

Between the late 1940s and the post-war period, 1.6m tons of munitions were dumped off the German coast. Countless of workers placed them in boats; some were placed in allocated locations, the remainder just thrown overboard while traveling. This is the first time experts have documented how ocean organisms has responded.

Global Instances of Marine Transformation

• In the US, decommissioned oil and gas structures have turned into coral reefs
• Sunken ships from the World War I have become habitats for creatures along the Potomac in the state of Maryland
• Military vehicle parts that have become environment to coral off Asan beach in Guam

These locations become even more valuable for organisms as the marine environments are increasingly depleted by fishing, seafloor dredging and anchoring. Sunken ships and munitions areas effectively serve as refuges – they are not official reserves, but virtually any kind of anthropogenic disturbance is restricted, states Vedenin. Therefore a many of species that are usually scarce or diminishing, such as the Baltic cod, are prospering.

Future Factors

Anywhere military conflict has happened in the recent history, surrounding seas are often littered with explosives, states Vedenin. Many millions of tons of volatile compounds lie in our seas.

The positions of these weapons are insufficiently documented, partly because of sovereign limits, classified armed forces records and the situation that records are buried in historical records. They present an detonation and safety danger, as well as risk from the ongoing release of toxic chemicals.

As the German government and additional nations begin removing these remains, researchers hope to preserve the ecosystems that have established around them. In the Bay of Lübeck explosives are already being removed.

It would be wise to replace these steel remains remaining from munitions with certain less dangerous, some non-dangerous structures, like perhaps concrete structures, says Vedenin.

He presently hopes that what occurs in Lübeck sets a model for substituting material after explosive extraction in other locations – because even the most harmful weaponry can become framework for ocean ecosystems.