World War II Explosives, Torpedo Heads and Naval Mines: How Marine Life Prosper on Abandoned Armaments

In the brackish sea off the Germany's coast sits a wasteland of World War II explosives, torpedoes and mines. Thrown off boats at the conclusion of the World War II and left behind, numerous weapons have accumulated over the years. They form a corroding blanket on the shallow, muddy ocean floor of the Lübeck Bay in the western part of the Baltic Sea.

Over the years, the explosive stockpile was ignored and neglected. A increasing amount of visitors came to the coastal areas and tranquil sea for water sports, kiteboarding and amusement parks. Below the waves, the weapons eroded.

Researchers anticipated to see a lifeless zone, with no organisms because it was all contaminated, states a scientist.

When the initial researchers went investigating to see what they were doing to the marine environment, some of us expected to see a barren area, with no organisms because it was all contaminated, explains a scientist.

What they observed surprised them. Vedenin recalls his scientists exclaiming in amazement when the submersible first sent the images back. It was a remarkable experience, he recalls.

Thousands of marine animals had made their homes amid the explosives, creating a regenerated marine community more populous than the ocean bottom nearby.

This marine city was proof to the resilience of life. It is actually remarkable how much marine organisms we observe in places that are considered toxic and risky, he states.

More than 40 sea stars had piled on to one exposed chunk of TNT. They were residing on steel casings, fuse pockets and transport cases just centimetres from its explosive filling. Marine fish, crabs, anemones and bivalves were all observed on the historic weapons. It's similar to a coral reef in terms of the amount of animal life that was present, notes Vedenin.

Surprising Population Density

An average of more than 40,000 organisms were dwelling on every meter squared of the weapons, scientists wrote in their paper on the discovery. The nearby seabed was much sparser, with only 8,000 creatures on every square metre.

It is paradoxical that objects that are designed to destroy all life are hosting so much life, says Vedenin. It's evident how the natural world adjusts after a devastating occurrence such as the second world war and how, in some way, marine life establishes itself to the most risky areas.

Man-made Structures as Marine Habitats

Artificial constructions such as sunken vessels, wind turbines, oil rigs and undersea pipes can create substitutes, compensating for some of the destroyed marine environment. This investigation shows that weapons could be comparably advantageous – the bloom of life on those in the Lübeck Bay is expected to be repeated in different areas.

Between 1946 and 1948, 1.6 million tonnes of weapons were dumped off the German shoreline. Thousands of workers loaded them in vessels; some were dropped in designated areas, the remainder just thrown overboard during transport. This is the first time scientists have documented how marine life has reacted.

Global Instances of Marine Adaptation

• In the United States, decommissioned oil and gas structures have turned into marine habitats
• Sunken ships from the World War I have become homes for wildlife along the Potomac in the state of Maryland
• Tank tracks that have become habitat to coral off Asan in the Pacific island

These locations become even more important for wildlife as the oceans are increasingly stripped by commercial fishing, seafloor dredging and anchoring. Sunken ships and explosive disposal locations essentially act as sanctuaries – they are not official reserves, but virtually any kind of human activity is banned, says Vedenin. As a result a lot of marine species that are typically scarce or decreasing, such as the Baltic cod, are thriving.

Coming Factors

Anywhere military conflict has occurred in the past 100 years, adjacent waters are usually littered with explosives, says Vedenin. Many millions of tons of dangerous substances remain in our oceans.

The positions of these weapons are insufficiently recorded, partly because of sovereign limits, secret military information and the reality that documents are hidden in old files. They present an explosion and security danger, as well as risk from the continuous leakage of hazardous substances.

As the German government and additional nations embark on clearing these artifacts, researchers aim to safeguard the marine communities that have developed nearby. In the Lübeck Bay explosives are presently being removed.

It would be wise to replace these metal carcasses left from munitions with some safer, various non-dangerous objects, like possibly concrete structures, says Vedenin.

He presently aspires that what occurs in the Bay of Lübeck sets a precedent for replacing structures after weapon clearance in other locations – because also the most damaging armaments can become scaffolding for new life.