World War II Bombs, Torpedo Heads and Naval Mines: How Marine Life Thrives on Dumped Armaments

In the brackish waters off the Germany's coast sits a graveyard of World War II explosives, torpedo heads and naval mines. Thrown off vessels at the end of the World War II and left behind, countless munitions have become matted together over the years. They create a rusting blanket on the shallow, silty seafloor of the Bay of Lübeck in the western tip of the Baltic Sea.

Over the decades, the explosive stockpile was ignored and forgotten about. A growing number of tourists flocked to the sandy beaches and tranquil sea for water sports, kite surfing and entertainment venues. Beneath the surface, the munitions deteriorated.

We initially anticipated to see a desert, with nothing living there because it was all poisoned, explains the lead researcher.

When the initial researchers went searching to see what they were doing to the ecosystem, researchers anticipated finding a lifeless zone, with no life because it was all poisoned, says a scientist.

What they observed surprised them. Vedenin recounts his colleagues exclaiming in amazement when the submersible first relayed pictures. This was a remarkable experience, he recalls.

Countless of marine animals had settled on the explosives, creating a regenerated ecosystem denser than the seabed around it.

This underwater metropolis was evidence to the tenacity of life. It is actually surprising how much marine organisms we discover in places that are supposed to be toxic and risky, he explains.

In excess of 40 sea stars had piled on to one exposed piece of TNT. They were residing on metal shells, fuse pockets and carrying containers just centimetres from its dangerous content. Marine fish, crabs, sea anemones and mussels were all found on the historic weapons. It resembles a coral reef in terms of the amount of creatures that was present, says Vedenin.

Surprising Population Density

An mean of more than 40,000 organisms were residing on every square metre of the weapons, researchers wrote in their paper on the observation. The surrounding area was much less diverse, with only eight thousand organisms on every meter squared.

It is ironic that objects that are meant to eliminate everything are drawing so much marine organisms, explains Vedenin. One can observe how nature adjusts after a catastrophic event such as the second world war and how, in certain respects, marine life finds its way to the most risky areas.

Artificial Structures as Ocean Environments

Artificial constructions such as shipwrecks, offshore windfarms, oil rigs and undersea pipes can create alternatives, restoring some of the removed marine environment. This investigation shows that munitions could be comparably advantageous – the explosion of life on those in the Lübeck Bay is probable to be found elsewhere.

Between the late 1940s and 1948, 1.6 million tons of munitions were disposed of off the German shoreline. Thousands of people loaded them in boats; a portion were placed in specific areas, others just thrown overboard during transport. This is the initial instance experts have documented how ocean organisms has responded.

Worldwide Instances of Ocean Transformation

• In the United States, decommissioned oil and gas structures have transformed into coral reefs
• Shipwrecks from the first world war have become homes for marine life along the Potomac River in the state of Maryland
• Military vehicle parts that have become habitat to reef-building organisms off Asan in Guam

These locations become even more crucial for wildlife as the seas are increasingly depleted by commercial fishing, seafloor dredging and boat mooring. Sunken ships and munitions areas essentially act as protected areas – they are not official reserves, but nearly any kind of human activity is restricted, states Vedenin. Consequently a numerous of species that are usually rare or decreasing, such as the Baltic cod, are prospering.

Future Factors

Wherever military conflict has occurred in the last century, surrounding seas are usually strewn with weapons, states Vedenin. Millions of tonnes of explosive material remain in our seas.

The positions of these explosives are poorly documented, partly because of national borders, restricted military information and the situation that records are buried in historical records. They pose an detonation and safety danger, as well as risk from the ongoing leakage of toxic chemicals.

As the German government and other countries begin removing these remains, researchers hope to safeguard the marine communities that have developed around them. In the Lübeck Bay explosives are already being cleared.

We should replace these steel remains remaining from munitions with some safer, various safe objects, like perhaps artificial reefs, suggests Vedenin.

He now wishes that what occurs in Lübeck creates a example for substituting structures after weapon clearance in other locations – because including the most harmful armaments can become foundation for ocean ecosystems.