World War II Explosives, Torpedoes and Mines: How Marine Life Flourishes on Abandoned Armaments

In the brackish sea off the Germany's coast lies a graveyard of Nazi bombs, torpedoes and mines. Thrown off vessels at the conclusion of the second world war and left behind, numerous munitions have become matted together over the years. They form a rusting carpet on the low-depth, muddy ocean floor of the Lübeck Bay in the western tip of the Baltic.

Over the years, the wartime weapons was ignored and neglected. A increasing amount of tourists flocked to the coastal areas and tranquil sea for jetskiing, kite surfing and amusement parks. Underwater, the weapons deteriorated.

Researchers expected to see a desert, with no life because it was all toxic, says Andrey Vedenin.

When the initial researchers went searching to see what they were doing to the ecosystem, some of us expected to see a barren area, with no organisms because it was all toxic, states the lead researcher.

What they found amazed them. Vedenin remembers his team members exclaiming in amazement when the underwater vehicle first transmitted footage. That moment was a great moment, he recalls.

Countless of ocean life had established habitats among the munitions, developing a regenerated habitat richer than the sea floor nearby.

This marine city was testament to the persistence of marine life. It is actually surprising how much marine organisms we discover in locations that are supposed to be toxic and dangerous, he states.

Over 40 starfish had gathered on to one visible piece of explosive material. They were dwelling on metal shells, fuse pockets and transport cases just centimetres from its dangerous content. Fish, crabs, anemones and bivalves were all found on the old munitions. You could compare it with a reef ecosystem in terms of the amount of animal life that was inhabiting the area, notes Vedenin.

Unexpected Population Density

An mean of more than 40,000 animals were living on every square metre of the explosives, scientists reported in their study on the observation. The surrounding area was much poorer in life, with only eight thousand individuals on every meter squared.

It is paradoxical that objects that are meant to eliminate everything are attracting so much life, explains Vedenin. One can observe how the natural world adapts after a devastating occurrence such as the World War II and how, in some way, life establishes itself to the most risky areas.

Artificial Structures as Marine Habitats

Artificial constructions such as sunken vessels, offshore windfarms, drilling platforms and pipelines can provide alternatives, restoring some of the lost marine environment. This study shows that weapons could be equally positive – the explosion of life on those in the Lübeck Bay is likely to be found in different areas.

Between 1946 and 1948, 1.6m tonnes of arms were dumped off the German coast. Thousands of individuals transported them in vessels; a portion were placed in specific areas, the remainder just thrown overboard en route. This is the first time experts have recorded how marine life has responded.

Worldwide Examples of Marine Adaptation

• In the United States, retired energy installations have turned into reef ecosystems
• Sunken ships from the World War I have become environments for wildlife along the Potomac River in Maryland
• Military vehicle parts that have become home to reef-building organisms off Asan in Guam

These locations become even more crucial for marine life as the marine environments are increasingly denuded by commercial fishing, bottom trawling and boat mooring. Sunken ships and munitions areas essentially function as sanctuaries – they are not national parks, but virtually any kind of human activity is banned, says Vedenin. Therefore a lot of species that are usually uncommon or diminishing, such as the Baltic cod, are prospering.

Future Factors

Anywhere armed conflict has taken place in the recent history, adjacent waters are usually strewn with munitions, explains Vedenin. Many millions of tons of volatile compounds lie in our marine environments.

The positions of these explosives are inadequately recorded, in part because of international boundaries, restricted defense data and the situation that archives are stored in historic archives. They create an explosion and safety risk, as well as danger from the ongoing emission of poisonous compounds.

As the German government and different states begin removing these relics, scientists aim to preserve the marine communities that have formed around them. In the Bay of Lübeck explosives are currently being cleared.

Researchers recommend substitute these iron structures left from munitions with some safer, various non-dangerous materials, like maybe concrete structures, states Vedenin.

He currently hopes that what occurs in Lübeck establishes a precedent for substituting material after explosive extraction in different areas – because even the most damaging armaments can become foundation for ocean ecosystems.