Nazi Explosives, Torpedo Heads and Naval Mines: The Way Ocean Creatures Prosper on Dumped Armaments

In the brackish waters off the Germany's coast sits a collection of Nazi bombs, torpedo heads and naval mines. Dumped from vessels at the conclusion of the World War II and neglected, numerous munitions have become matted together over the decades. They form a decaying blanket on the low-depth, muddy seafloor of the Bay of Lübeck in the western tip of the Baltic.

Over the decades, the explosive stockpile was ignored and forgotten about. A increasing amount of visitors flocked to the coastal areas and calm waters for water sports, kite surfing and amusement parks. Below the waves, the weapons deteriorated.

We initially thought to see a barren area, with no organisms because it was all contaminated, states a scientist.

When the first scientists went searching to see what they were affecting to the ecosystem, some of us expected to see a barren area, with nothing living there because it was all toxic, says the lead researcher.

What they found surprised them. Vedenin remembers his scientists shouting with surprise when the submersible first relayed pictures. It was a memorable occasion, he says.

Thousands of marine animals had made their homes among the explosives, forming a renewed marine community richer than the ocean bottom nearby.

This marine city was testament to the resilience of marine life. It is actually astonishing how much marine organisms we discover in locations that are expected to be hazardous and dangerous, he states.

More than 40 starfish had piled on to one accessible piece of TNT. They were living on metal shells, ignition chambers and transport cases just a short distance from its explosive filling. Marine fish, crustaceans, sea anemones and mussels were all found on the historic weapons. It resembles a reef ecosystem in terms of the amount of creatures that was there, says Vedenin.

Surprising Population Density

An average of more than 40,000 organisms were residing on every square metre of the explosives, researchers reported in their research on the discovery. The nearby seabed was much less diverse, with only 8,000 individuals on every meter squared.

It is paradoxical that things that are designed to eliminate everything are hosting so much life, says Vedenin. You can see how the natural world adjusts after a major disaster such as the World War II and how, in certain respects, marine life returns to the most dangerous areas.

Artificial Features as Marine Habitats

Artificial constructions such as sunken vessels, wind turbines, oil rigs and pipelines can create replacements, compensating for some of the removed habitat. This study shows that weapons could be comparably beneficial – the explosion of life on those in the Lübeck Bay is probable to be repeated elsewhere.

Between 1946 and the post-war period, 1.6m tons of arms were dumped off the German shoreline. Countless of individuals transported them in boats; some were deposited in specific locations, the remainder just discarded at sea during transport. This is the first time experts have documented how ocean organisms has adapted.

Global Examples of Marine Transformation

• In the United States, decommissioned drilling platforms have transformed into marine habitats
• Sunken ships from the World War I have become habitats for marine life along the Potomac in Maryland
• Military vehicle parts that have become habitat to reef-building organisms off Asan beach in the Pacific island

These areas become even more valuable for organisms as the marine environments are increasingly depleted by fishing, seafloor dredging and anchoring. Sunken ships and munitions areas effectively serve as protected areas – they are not national parks, but virtually any kind of human activity is restricted, says Vedenin. Therefore a numerous of marine species that are typically rare or decreasing, such as the Baltic cod, are flourishing.

Future Issues

Wherever armed conflict has happened in the recent history, adjacent waters are often strewn with munitions, explains Vedenin. Millions of tonnes of explosive material remain in our marine environments.

The positions of these munitions are insufficiently documented, in part because of sovereign limits, classified armed forces records and the fact that records are buried in historical records. They create an explosion and security danger, as well as risk from the continuous leakage of hazardous substances.

As the German government and additional nations begin extracting these relics, researchers hope to preserve the ecosystems that have formed nearby. In the Lübeck Bay munitions are presently being cleared.

It would be wise to substitute these metal carcasses remaining from weapons with certain more secure, some harmless structures, like maybe man-made habitats, states Vedenin.

He now hopes that what transpires in Lübeck sets a precedent for replacing material after weapon clearance in different areas – because also the most harmful armaments can become foundation for new life.