World War II Bombs, Torpedo Heads and Naval Mines: How Marine Life Thrives on Dumped Armaments

In the brackish waters off the Germany's coast rests a graveyard of World War II explosives, torpedo heads and naval mines. Thrown off barges at the conclusion of the World War II and neglected, numerous munitions have fused into clusters over the years. They form a decaying blanket on the low-depth, silty ocean floor of the Lübeck Bay in the western tip of the Baltic.

Over the decades, the explosive stockpile was overlooked and forgotten about. A increasing amount of visitors flocked to the sandy beaches and calm waters for water sports, kite surfing and entertainment venues. Underwater, the munitions deteriorated.

Researchers anticipated to see a desert, with no organisms because it was all contaminated, says the lead researcher.

When the initial researchers went searching to see what they were affecting to the marine environment, the team anticipated finding a lifeless zone, with no life because it was all contaminated, states a scientist.

What they discovered surprised them. Vedenin recounts his colleagues exclaiming in amazement when the submersible first sent the images back. It was a memorable occasion, he notes.

Numerous of ocean life had established habitats on the weapons, forming a regenerated ecosystem richer than the sea floor surrounding it.

This marine city was testament to the resilience of life. It is actually remarkable how much life we find in places that are considered hazardous and risky, he explains.

Over 40 starfish had clustered on to one exposed chunk of explosive material. They were residing on steel casings, detonator compartments and storage boxes just centimetres from its volatile core. Fish, crabs, sea anemones and mussels were all discovered on the historic weapons. It's similar to a coral reef in terms of the quantity of creatures that was present, notes Vedenin.

Surprising Population Density

An mean of more than forty thousand creatures were residing on every square metre of the explosives, experts reported in their study on the discovery. The surrounding area was much sparser, with only eight thousand creatures on every square metre.

It is paradoxical that items that are meant to destroy all life are attracting so much marine organisms, says Vedenin. One can observe how the natural world adjusts after a devastating occurrence such as the second world war and how, in certain respects, life returns to the most hazardous places.

Man-made Features as Ocean Habitats

Artificial constructions such as shipwrecks, wind turbines, drilling platforms and pipelines can provide substitutes, compensating for some of the lost habitat. This study demonstrates that explosives could be equally positive – the bloom of marine organisms on those in the Bay of Lübeck is expected to be found in other locations.

Between 1946 and the post-war period, 1.6m tons of arms were discarded off the Germany's shoreline. Numerous of people placed them in boats; some were placed in specific areas, others just thrown overboard en route. This is the initial instance researchers have recorded how ocean organisms has reacted.

Global Examples of Marine Adaptation

• In the United States, decommissioned oil and gas structures have transformed into marine habitats
• Submerged vessels from the World War I have become environments for wildlife along the Potomac River in Maryland
• Military vehicle parts that have become habitat to coral off Asan in the Pacific island

These places become even more important for marine life as the oceans are increasingly stripped by commercial fishing, bottom trawling and anchoring. Sunken ships and munitions areas essentially act as protected areas – they are not official reserves, but nearly any kind of anthropogenic disturbance is restricted, says Vedenin. Consequently a many of organisms that are usually scarce or diminishing, such as the Baltic cod, are prospering.

Future Issues

Anywhere armed conflict has occurred in the past 100 years, surrounding seas are typically containing munitions, explains Vedenin. Many millions of tonnes of dangerous substances rest in our seas.

The locations of these munitions are inadequately mapped, partially because of international boundaries, classified military information and the situation that records are buried in historical records. They create an detonation and security hazard, as well as risk from the persistent emission of toxic chemicals.

As the German government and other countries start clearing these remains, researchers aim to safeguard the marine communities that have formed in their vicinity. In the Bay of Lübeck munitions are currently being cleared.

It would be wise to replace these metal carcasses originating from weapons with some more secure, some safe structures, like maybe man-made habitats, suggests Vedenin.

He currently aspires that what transpires in Lübeck sets a model for replacing material after explosive extraction in other locations – because also the most damaging explosives can become foundation for ocean ecosystems.