Nazi Bombs, Torpedo Heads and Mines: The Way Ocean Creatures Flourishes on Abandoned Weapons

In the slightly salty waters off the German coast rests a wasteland of World War II explosives, torpedoes and mines. Thrown off boats at the end of the second world war and neglected, countless explosives have accumulated over the decades. They create a decaying layer on the shallow, muddy ocean floor of the Lübeck Bay in the western part of the Baltic Sea.

Over the decades, the wartime weapons was ignored and neglected. A increasing amount of visitors traveled to the coastal areas and calm waters for jetskiing, kite surfing and amusement parks. Below the waves, the munitions decayed.

We initially thought to see a barren area, with no organisms because it was all poisoned, states the lead researcher.

When the initial researchers went investigating to see what they were doing to the ecosystem, some of us expected to see a lifeless zone, with nothing living there because it was all toxic, explains Andrey Vedenin.

What they discovered astonished them. Vedenin recounts his team members exclaiming in amazement when the underwater vehicle first relayed pictures. This was a memorable occasion, he says.

Thousands of marine animals had made their homes on the explosives, forming a renewed ecosystem richer than the sea floor surrounding it.

This marine city was testament to the tenacity of life. It is actually remarkable how much marine organisms we find in places that are supposed to be dangerous and harmful, he explains.

Over 40 starfish had clustered on to one accessible chunk of TNT. They were dwelling on iron containers, detonator compartments and carrying containers just a short distance from its volatile core. Marine fish, crustaceans, anemones and bivalves were all discovered on the old munitions. It's similar to a marine reef in terms of the quantity of creatures that was present, says Vedenin.

Remarkable Creature Concentration

An mean of more than forty thousand creatures were residing on every meter squared of the munitions, scientists documented in their study on the observation. The surrounding area was much poorer in life, with only 8,000 individuals on every square metre.

It is paradoxical that objects that are intended to eliminate all life are hosting so much marine organisms, states Vedenin. It's evident how nature adjusts after a devastating occurrence such as the World War II and how, in some way, life finds its way to the most risky areas.

Artificial Structures as Ocean Environments

Man-made constructions such as shipwrecks, wind turbines, oil rigs and undersea pipes can offer replacements, compensating for some of the lost habitat. This research shows that weapons could be similarly advantageous – the explosion of life on those in the Lübeck Bay is probable to be found in different areas.

Between the late 1940s and the post-war period, 1.6m tons of weapons were dumped off the German shoreline. Thousands of people placed them in boats; a portion were dropped in designated locations, the remainder just discarded at sea en route. This is the initial instance experts have recorded how ocean organisms has adapted.

Worldwide Instances of Marine Adaptation

• In the United States, decommissioned energy installations have turned into coral reefs
• Sunken ships from the World War I have become environments for wildlife along the Potomac River in Maryland
• Tank tracks that have become home to coral off Asan beach in the Pacific island

These places become even more valuable for organisms as the marine environments are increasingly depleted by commercial fishing, seafloor dredging and boat mooring. Shipwrecks and weapons dump sites essentially function as protected areas – they are not official reserves, but virtually any kind of human activity is banned, states Vedenin. As a result a numerous of organisms that are otherwise uncommon or decreasing, such as the Baltic cod, are flourishing.

Future Issues

Wherever warfare has taken place in the recent history, nearby oceans are often littered with munitions, explains Vedenin. Many millions of tonnes of explosive material lie in our marine environments.

The sites of these munitions are poorly documented, in part because of national borders, classified defense data and the reality that documents are buried in old files. They pose an explosion and safety danger, as well as threat from the continuous leakage of hazardous substances.

As Germany and additional nations embark on clearing these relics, scientists aim to safeguard the habitats that have formed around them. In the Bay of Lübeck weapons are presently being extracted.

Researchers recommend replace these steel remains remaining from munitions with some more secure, some harmless objects, like perhaps concrete structures, suggests Vedenin.

He currently aspires that what happens in the Bay of Lübeck establishes a example for substituting material after munitions removal elsewhere – because also the most damaging armaments can become foundation for ocean ecosystems.