Nazi Bombs, Torpedo Heads and Mines: How Marine Life Prosper on Abandoned Armaments

In the slightly salty waters off the Germany's shoreline rests a graveyard of World War II explosives, torpedoes and mines. Thrown off vessels at the conclusion of the World War II and left behind, countless explosives have fused into clusters over the years. They comprise a rusting carpet on the shallow, silty ocean floor of the Bay of Lübeck in the western tip of the Baltic.

Over the years, the wartime weapons was overlooked and neglected. A increasing amount of visitors flocked to the coastal areas and tranquil sea for jetskiing, kiteboarding and entertainment venues. Beneath the surface, the munitions deteriorated.

Some of us expected to see a desert, with nothing living there because it was all poisoned, states Andrey Vedenin.

When the team went searching to see what they were affecting to the ecosystem, some of us expected to see a lifeless zone, with nothing living there because it was all poisoned, explains Andrey Vedenin.

What they observed amazed them. Vedenin remembers his scientists exclaiming in amazement when the underwater vehicle first relayed pictures. It was a great moment, he says.

Numerous of marine animals had made their homes on the munitions, creating a regenerated ecosystem richer than the ocean bottom nearby.

This ocean community was testament to the tenacity of marine life. Truly astonishing how much marine organisms we discover in locations that are supposed to be toxic and harmful, he states.

Over 40 starfish had piled on to one accessible fragment of explosive material. They were living on iron containers, ignition chambers and carrying containers just a short distance from its explosive filling. Fish, crustaceans, sea anemones and mussels were all observed on the discarded explosives. It resembles a coral reef in terms of the quantity of animal life that was inhabiting the area, notes Vedenin.

Remarkable Creature Concentration

An mean of more than 40,000 creatures were dwelling on every square metre of the explosives, scientists documented in their research on the observation. The nearby seabed was much sparser, with only eight thousand creatures on every meter squared.

It is surprising that things that are designed to eliminate everything are hosting so much life, explains Vedenin. One can observe how nature adjusts after a major disaster such as the World War II and how, in some way, marine life returns to the most risky locations.

Artificial Features as Marine Habitats

Artificial features such as sunken vessels, wind turbines, drilling platforms and pipelines can create alternatives, restoring some of the removed habitat. This study shows that explosives could be comparably positive – the proliferation of marine organisms on those in the Bay of Lübeck is probable to be found in different areas.

Between 1946 and the post-war period, 1.6m tonnes of munitions were disposed of off the German shoreline. Thousands of people loaded them in barges; a portion were dropped in allocated sites, the remainder just discarded at sea en route. This is the first time researchers have documented how ocean organisms has reacted.

Worldwide Examples of Marine Adaptation

• In the United States, retired energy installations have become marine habitats
• Shipwrecks from the World War I have become habitats for wildlife along the Potomac River in the state of Maryland
• Tank tracks that have become habitat to coral off Asan in the Pacific island

These places become even more valuable for organisms as the seas are increasingly stripped by fishing, seafloor dredging and boat mooring. Shipwrecks and munitions areas essentially serve as refuges – they are not national parks, but nearly any kind of human activity is prohibited, says Vedenin. Consequently a numerous of marine species that are otherwise scarce or decreasing, such as the Baltic cod, are flourishing.

Future Considerations

Anywhere armed conflict has happened in the last century, adjacent waters are often strewn with munitions, explains Vedenin. Many millions of tons of dangerous substances remain in our oceans.

The positions of these munitions are poorly recorded, partially because of international boundaries, secret military information and the reality that documents are stored in historical records. They present an explosion and safety risk, as well as risk from the persistent release of toxic chemicals.

As Germany and other countries begin extracting these artifacts, experts plan to safeguard the marine communities that have formed around them. In the Lübeck Bay weapons are currently being extracted.

We should substitute these steel remains remaining from weapons with some less dangerous, various safe materials, like maybe concrete structures, says Vedenin.

He now hopes that what occurs in the Bay of Lübeck creates a example for replacing habitats after munitions removal in different areas – because including the most damaging armaments can become scaffolding for new life.