Nazi Munitions, Torpedoes and Mines: The Way Marine Life Flourishes on Discarded Armaments

In the slightly salty sea off the German coast lies a collection of Nazi bombs, torpedoes and mines. Discarded from barges at the end of the second world war and forgotten about, thousands munitions have become matted together over the decades. They form a decaying carpet on the shallow, muddy seafloor of the Lübeck Bay in the western tip of the Baltic Sea.

Over the years, the explosive stockpile was ignored and neglected. A increasing amount of visitors came to the coastal areas and tranquil sea for jetskiing, kite surfing and amusement parks. Beneath the surface, the munitions decayed.

Some of us anticipated to see a desert, with nothing living there because it was all contaminated, says the lead researcher.

When the first scientists went investigating to see what they were doing to the ecosystem, the team expected to see a barren area, with no life because it was all contaminated, explains a scientist.

What they observed amazed them. Vedenin recounts his scientists exclaiming in amazement when the underwater vehicle first relayed pictures. This was a memorable occasion, he notes.

Numerous of marine animals had made their homes amid the explosives, creating a regenerated marine community denser than the seabed around it.

This marine city was evidence to the persistence of marine life. Truly surprising how much life we observe in areas that are expected to be dangerous and harmful, he explains.

Over 40 starfish had clustered on to one visible chunk of explosive material. They were dwelling on steel casings, fuse pockets and transport cases just a short distance from its explosive filling. Marine fish, crustaceans, sea anemones and bivalves were all observed on the historic weapons. You could compare it with a marine reef in terms of the amount of creatures that was present, states Vedenin.

Remarkable Population Density

An average of more than forty thousand creatures were residing on every square metre of the munitions, experts wrote in their research on the finding. The nearby seabed was much less diverse, with only eight thousand creatures on every square metre.

It is ironic that items that are intended to eliminate all life are hosting so much life, explains Vedenin. You can see how nature adapts after a devastating occurrence such as the World War II and how, in certain respects, life establishes itself to the most hazardous places.

Artificial Features as Ocean Habitats

Man-made constructions such as sunken vessels, offshore windfarms, drilling platforms and pipelines can create alternatives, compensating for some of the destroyed marine environment. This research reveals that weapons could be equally advantageous – the proliferation of life on those in the Lübeck Bay is expected to be found in different areas.

Between the late 1940s and 1948, 1.6m tons of munitions were disposed of off the German shoreline. Countless of workers loaded them in boats; a portion were deposited in allocated locations, the remainder just thrown overboard during transport. This is the initial instance experts have studied how marine life has responded.

Worldwide Instances of Ocean Adaptation

• In the United States, retired drilling platforms have become coral reefs
• Submerged vessels from the first world war have become homes for wildlife along the Potomac in Maryland
• Tank tracks that have become habitat to reef-building organisms off Asan beach in the Pacific island

These locations become even more crucial for organisms as the marine environments are increasingly stripped by fishing, seafloor dredging and anchoring. Sunken ships and explosive disposal locations effectively function as refuges – they are not official reserves, but nearly any kind of human activity is restricted, says Vedenin. As a result a many of organisms that are typically uncommon or diminishing, such as the Baltic cod, are thriving.

Coming Considerations

Wherever armed conflict has happened in the past 100 years, adjacent waters are typically littered with weapons, says Vedenin. Millions of tonnes of explosive material remain in our marine environments.

The positions of these explosives are inadequately mapped, partially because of national borders, classified military information and the situation that archives are buried in historic archives. They pose an explosion and security risk, as well as threat from the continuous leakage of toxic chemicals.

As Germany and different states begin clearing these remains, scientists hope to protect the ecosystems that have formed nearby. In the Lübeck Bay munitions are presently being removed.

Researchers recommend substitute these steel remains remaining from weapons with certain more secure, some harmless structures, like possibly man-made habitats, suggests Vedenin.

He currently hopes that what transpires in Lübeck establishes a model for substituting material after explosive extraction elsewhere – because including the most destructive weaponry can become framework for new life.