Nazi Explosives, Torpedoes and Mines: How Marine Life Thrives on Discarded Weapons

In the slightly salty sea off the Germany's coast sits a wasteland of World War II explosives, torpedo heads and naval mines. Discarded from boats at the end of the second world war and forgotten about, thousands explosives have fused into clusters over the years. They create a decaying blanket on the low-depth, silty seafloor of the Bay of Lübeck in the western tip of the Baltic Sea.

Over the years, the wartime weapons was ignored and forgotten about. A increasing amount of tourists traveled to the coastal areas and tranquil sea for jetskiing, kiteboarding and entertainment venues. Beneath the surface, the weapons decayed.

We initially thought to see a barren area, with no life because it was all toxic, explains the lead researcher.

When the team went looking to see what they were affecting to the marine environment, researchers thought they would find a barren area, with nothing living there because it was all poisoned, says the lead researcher.

What they discovered amazed them. Vedenin remembers his scientists exclaiming in amazement when the ROV first transmitted footage. It was a remarkable experience, he recalls.

Numerous of sea creatures had established habitats amid the weapons, developing a regenerated habitat denser than the sea floor surrounding it.

This ocean community was proof to the persistence of marine life. Truly remarkable how much life we observe in locations that are considered toxic and risky, he explains.

In excess of 40 sea stars had gathered on to one accessible chunk of TNT. They were dwelling on metal shells, ignition chambers and transport cases just a short distance from its explosive filling. Marine fish, crabs, anemones and bivalves were all found on the discarded explosives. You could compare it with a marine reef in terms of the quantity of creatures that was inhabiting the area, notes Vedenin.

Remarkable Population Density

An average of more than 40,000 creatures were dwelling on every meter squared of the weapons, researchers reported in their study on the discovery. The surrounding area was much sparser, with only 8,000 creatures on every square metre.

It is surprising that objects that are meant to eliminate all life are drawing so much marine organisms, says Vedenin. It's evident how the natural world evolves after a devastating occurrence such as the World War II and how, in some way, marine life finds its way to the most dangerous places.

Artificial Features as Ocean Environments

Man-made structures such as shipwrecks, wind turbines, oil rigs and pipelines can create alternatives, replacing some of the removed marine environment. This study demonstrates that munitions could be equally beneficial – the explosion of marine organisms on those in the Lübeck Bay is probable to be repeated elsewhere.

Between the late 1940s and 1948, 1.6m tonnes of munitions were dumped off the German shoreline. Countless of people loaded them in barges; a portion were deposited in designated locations, the remainder just discarded at sea en route. This is the first time experts have studied how ocean organisms has adapted.

Worldwide Examples of Marine Adaptation

• In the United States, retired drilling platforms have become coral reefs
• Submerged vessels from the World War I have become homes for marine life along the Potomac in the state of Maryland
• Tank tracks that have become home to coral off Asan beach in Guam

These areas become even more valuable for wildlife as the marine environments are increasingly stripped by commercial fishing, seafloor dredging and anchoring. Shipwrecks and munitions areas essentially act as protected areas – they are not official reserves, but virtually any kind of human activity is banned, explains Vedenin. As a result a numerous of marine species that are otherwise scarce or diminishing, such as the cod fish, are flourishing.

Coming Factors

Wherever warfare has taken place in the recent history, nearby oceans are usually littered with explosives, explains Vedenin. Many millions of tonnes of volatile compounds lie in our seas.

The sites of these weapons are poorly documented, partially because of international boundaries, secret armed forces records and the fact that documents are hidden in old files. They pose an explosion and safety risk, as well as threat from the persistent leakage of toxic chemicals.

As Germany and different states start extracting these remains, scientists aim to preserve the habitats that have developed in their vicinity. In the Bay of Lübeck explosives are currently being extracted.

It would be wise to replace these steel remains originating from weapons with some more secure, some harmless objects, like possibly concrete structures, says Vedenin.

He currently hopes that what transpires in Lübeck sets a example for replacing habitats after explosive extraction in different areas – because including the most destructive weaponry can become framework for marine organisms.