World War II Munitions, Torpedo Heads and Naval Mines: How Ocean Creatures Prosper on Abandoned Armaments

In the brackish waters off the German coast rests a wasteland of Nazi bombs, torpedo heads and mines. Discarded from barges at the conclusion of the second world war and neglected, numerous munitions have accumulated over the decades. They form a corroding layer on the shallow, silty seafloor of the Lübeck Bay in the western part of the Baltic Sea.

Over the decades, the wartime weapons was overlooked and neglected. A growing number of tourists traveled to the coastal areas and calm waters for jetskiing, kite surfing and entertainment venues. Below the waves, the weapons decayed.

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

When the first scientists went investigating to see what they were affecting to the marine environment, researchers anticipated finding a desert, with no life because it was all toxic, explains a scientist.

What they discovered amazed them. Vedenin recalls his team members shouting with surprise when the submersible first relayed pictures. This was a great moment, he recalls.

Numerous of ocean life had established habitats among the explosives, creating a regenerated ecosystem richer than the seabed surrounding it.

This marine city was evidence to the resilience of marine life. Truly remarkable how much life we find in areas that are supposed to be dangerous and harmful, he says.

More than 40 sea stars had gathered on to one visible piece of TNT. They were residing on steel casings, detonator compartments and carrying containers just a short distance from its volatile core. Marine fish, crabs, sea anemones and bivalves were all discovered on the historic weapons. You could compare it with a coral reef in terms of the abundance of fauna that was there, says Vedenin.

Unexpected Population Density

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

It is ironic that things that are designed to kill everything are hosting so much life, says Vedenin. One can observe how the natural world adjusts after a catastrophic event such as the World War II and how, in certain respects, life returns to the most hazardous places.

Man-made Features as Ocean Habitats

Artificial features such as sunken vessels, wind turbines, drilling platforms and pipelines can provide substitutes, restoring some of the destroyed habitat. This investigation shows that munitions could be comparably beneficial – the bloom of marine organisms on those in the Lübeck Bay is likely to be repeated elsewhere.

Between 1946 and the post-war period, 1.6m tonnes of weapons were discarded off the Germany's shoreline. Countless of workers placed them in boats; some were deposited in allocated locations, others just dumped during transport. This is the first time researchers have studied how ocean organisms has reacted.

Worldwide Instances of Ocean Transformation

• In the United States, decommissioned energy installations have become marine habitats
• Shipwrecks from the World War I have become environments for wildlife along the Potomac River in the state of Maryland
• Tank tracks that have become home to coral off Asan beach in Guam

These locations become even more crucial for marine life as the marine environments are increasingly stripped by fishing, seafloor dredging and anchoring. Shipwrecks and munitions areas practically serve as refuges – they are not official reserves, but almost any kind of anthropogenic disturbance is prohibited, states Vedenin. As a result a many of marine species that are otherwise scarce or declining, such as the Baltic cod, are thriving.

Coming Issues

Wherever military conflict has occurred in the recent history, adjacent waters are typically containing weapons, states Vedenin. Millions of tonnes of dangerous substances rest in our oceans.

The positions of these munitions are poorly recorded, partly because of sovereign limits, secret armed forces records and the reality that records are hidden in old files. They present an explosion and security risk, as well as risk from the continuous leakage of toxic chemicals.

As the German government and additional nations begin clearing these remains, scientists hope to preserve the ecosystems that have formed in their vicinity. In the Lübeck Bay explosives are presently being extracted.

Researchers recommend substitute these iron structures originating from munitions with certain less dangerous, some non-dangerous objects, like perhaps artificial reefs, suggests Vedenin.

He now hopes that what occurs in Lübeck creates a model for replacing structures after explosive extraction elsewhere – because also the most damaging explosives can become foundation for marine organisms.