Nazi Munitions, Torpedoes and Mines: The Way Ocean Creatures Flourishes on Dumped Weapons

In the brackish sea off the Germany's coast sits a wasteland of Nazi bombs, torpedo heads and naval mines. Discarded from barges at the conclusion of the World War II and forgotten about, numerous munitions have accumulated over the decades. They form a corroding layer on the low-depth, silty seafloor of the Lübeck Bay in the western tip of the Baltic.

Over the years, the explosive stockpile was overlooked and forgotten about. A increasing amount of visitors flocked to the coastal areas and calm waters for jetskiing, kiteboarding and amusement parks. Below the waves, the weapons decayed.

We initially thought to see a lifeless zone, with nothing living there because it was all poisoned, says Andrey Vedenin.

When the team went searching to see what they were doing to the marine environment, some of us thought they would find a lifeless zone, with nothing living there because it was all toxic, states a scientist.

What they discovered amazed them. Vedenin recounts his team members reacting with shock when the submersible first transmitted footage. That moment was a great moment, he says.

Numerous of marine animals had made their homes on the weapons, creating a renewed ecosystem more populous than the seabed nearby.

This ocean community was evidence to the tenacity of marine life. Indeed surprising how much marine organisms we find in areas that are supposed to be toxic and risky, he says.

In excess of 40 sea stars had gathered on to one visible chunk of TNT. They were residing on metal shells, fuse pockets and carrying containers just centimetres from its dangerous content. Marine fish, crustaceans, sea anemones and mussels were all observed on the historic weapons. It's similar to a reef ecosystem in terms of the amount of animal life that was there, notes Vedenin.

Remarkable Creature Concentration

An mean of more than forty thousand organisms were living on every meter squared of the munitions, experts documented in their study on the observation. The nearby seabed was much less diverse, with only eight thousand organisms on every square metre.

It is paradoxical that items that are meant to eliminate all life are drawing so much marine organisms, explains Vedenin. It's evident how the natural world adjusts after a catastrophic event such as the World War II and how, in some way, marine life finds its way to the most dangerous places.

Artificial Structures as Ocean Habitats

Man-made features such as sunken vessels, wind turbines, drilling platforms and undersea pipes can offer substitutes, restoring some of the removed marine environment. This research demonstrates that munitions could be equally positive – the proliferation of life on those in the Bay of Lübeck is likely to be repeated in different areas.

Between 1946 and the post-war period, 1.6m tonnes of munitions were discarded off the Germany's shoreline. Thousands of individuals placed them in barges; a portion were dropped in allocated sites, the remainder just thrown overboard en route. This is the initial instance experts have studied how ocean organisms has responded.

Global Examples of Marine Adaptation

• In the US, retired energy installations have turned into reef ecosystems
• Submerged vessels from the World War I have become habitats 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 important for organisms as the marine environments are increasingly denuded by commercial fishing, seafloor dredging and boat mooring. Sunken ships and explosive disposal locations practically serve as refuges – they are not official reserves, but virtually any kind of human activity is restricted, explains Vedenin. As a result a lot of species that are usually scarce or decreasing, such as the cod fish, are flourishing.

Future Considerations

Wherever armed conflict has taken place in the past 100 years, surrounding seas are typically containing explosives, states Vedenin. Many millions of tonnes of dangerous substances remain in our oceans.

The positions of these munitions are poorly mapped, in part because of international boundaries, classified defense data and the reality that records are stored in historical records. They present an explosion and safety danger, as well as risk from the ongoing emission of hazardous substances.

As the German government and other countries start clearing these artifacts, scientists plan to preserve the marine communities that have formed nearby. In the Lübeck Bay explosives are presently being removed.

We should replace these steel remains originating from weapons with some less dangerous, various safe objects, like possibly man-made habitats, says Vedenin.

He now aspires that what happens in the Bay of Lübeck sets a example for substituting material after weapon clearance in other locations – because even the most destructive weaponry can become foundation for marine organisms.