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

In the brackish waters off the German coast lies a graveyard of World War II explosives, torpedoes and mines. Thrown off barges at the conclusion of the second world war and left behind, countless weapons have accumulated over the years. They form a corroding layer on the shallow, silty seafloor of the Bay of Lübeck in the western tip of the Baltic Sea.

Over the decades, the wartime weapons was overlooked and neglected. A increasing amount of visitors came to the coastal areas and tranquil sea for water sports, kiteboarding and amusement parks. Beneath the surface, the munitions deteriorated.

Researchers anticipated to see a lifeless zone, with nothing living there because it was all poisoned, says a scientist.

When the first scientists went looking to see what they were doing to the ecosystem, some of us expected to see a barren area, with nothing living there because it was all poisoned, says the lead researcher.

What they observed surprised them. Vedenin recalls his colleagues shouting with surprise when the underwater vehicle first relayed pictures. That moment was a memorable occasion, he recalls.

Numerous of marine animals had established habitats on the weapons, developing a revitalized ecosystem richer than the ocean bottom around it.

This marine city was proof to the tenacity of life. Truly surprising how much marine organisms we observe in places that are supposed to be hazardous and risky, he explains.

Over 40 sea stars had clustered on to one exposed chunk of explosive material. They were residing on steel casings, ignition chambers and transport cases just centimetres from its volatile core. Marine fish, crustaceans, anemones and mussels were all discovered on the discarded explosives. It's similar to a coral reef in terms of the amount of animal life that was inhabiting the area, states Vedenin.

Remarkable Population Density

An mean of more than forty thousand creatures were dwelling on every meter squared of the explosives, scientists documented in their research on the observation. The nearby seabed was much less diverse, with only eight thousand individuals on every square metre.

It is ironic that things that are intended to eliminate everything are attracting so much marine organisms, states Vedenin. You can see how nature adapts after a devastating occurrence such as the World War II and how, in certain respects, marine life finds its way to the most risky areas.

Man-made Features as Ocean Environments

Man-made constructions such as shipwrecks, offshore windfarms, drilling platforms and undersea pipes can offer replacements, compensating for some of the lost habitat. This research reveals that munitions could be similarly advantageous – the explosion of marine organisms on those in the Bay of Lübeck is likely to be repeated in other locations.

Between the late 1940s and 1948, 1.6 million tonnes of weapons were disposed of off the German shoreline. Countless of people loaded them in boats; a portion were dropped in allocated sites, the remainder just dumped en route. This is the initial instance experts have studied how ocean organisms has adapted.

Worldwide Instances of Ocean Transformation

• In the United States, decommissioned energy installations have turned into coral reefs
• Sunken ships from the World War I have become habitats for marine life along the Potomac River in Maryland
• Tank tracks that have become habitat to coral off Asan beach in Guam

These places become even more valuable for marine life as the oceans are increasingly depleted by fishing, seafloor dredging and anchoring. Shipwrecks and weapons dump sites essentially act as refuges – they are not national parks, but virtually any kind of human activity is prohibited, says Vedenin. As a result a lot of marine species that are usually rare or decreasing, such as the cod fish, are thriving.

Future Considerations

Wherever warfare has taken place in the recent history, surrounding seas are usually littered with weapons, states Vedenin. Many millions of tons of explosive material lie in our marine environments.

The sites of these munitions are poorly mapped, in part because of national borders, secret military information and the situation that documents are buried in historical records. They present an detonation and security hazard, as well as danger from the ongoing emission of toxic chemicals.

As Germany and other countries start clearing these artifacts, researchers hope to preserve the ecosystems that have developed around them. In the Bay of Lübeck weapons are presently being extracted.

We should replace these iron structures remaining from munitions with certain safer, some harmless materials, like perhaps artificial reefs, states Vedenin.

He presently hopes that what transpires in Lübeck creates a precedent for substituting habitats after weapon clearance in different areas – because even the most damaging weaponry can become foundation for marine organisms.