World War II Explosives, Torpedo Heads and Naval Mines: The Way Marine Life Thrives on Discarded Armaments

In the brackish waters off the Germany's shoreline lies a wasteland of Nazi bombs, torpedo heads and naval mines. Discarded from vessels at the end of the second world war and neglected, numerous explosives have accumulated over the years. They form a decaying blanket on the shallow, muddy ocean floor of the Bay of Lübeck in the western tip of the Baltic Sea.

Over the years, the wartime weapons was overlooked and forgotten about. A increasing amount of visitors traveled to the coastal areas and tranquil sea for jetskiing, kite surfing and amusement parks. Below the waves, the weapons decayed.

Researchers thought to see a barren area, with no organisms because it was all toxic, states the lead researcher.

When the first scientists went investigating to see what they were affecting to the ecosystem, researchers thought they would find a desert, with no life because it was all poisoned, states the lead researcher.

What they discovered amazed them. Vedenin recounts his scientists exclaiming in amazement when the submersible first sent the images back. This was a memorable occasion, he recalls.

Numerous of sea creatures had made their homes on the weapons, forming a renewed ecosystem more populous than the ocean bottom surrounding it.

This ocean community was testament to the persistence of life. Indeed astonishing how much life we discover in locations that are considered toxic and harmful, he says.

More than 40 sea stars had piled on to one accessible piece of TNT. They were dwelling on steel casings, detonator compartments and carrying containers just centimetres from its explosive filling. Fish, crustaceans, anemones and bivalves were all discovered on the discarded explosives. You could compare it with a reef ecosystem in terms of the amount of animal life that was inhabiting the area, says Vedenin.

Surprising Population Density

An average of more than 40,000 creatures were dwelling on every meter squared of the munitions, scientists reported in their paper on the finding. The surrounding area was much sparser, with only eight thousand individuals on every meter squared.

It is ironic that things that are designed to eliminate all life are hosting so much life, states Vedenin. You can see how the natural world adjusts after a catastrophic event such as the World War II and how, in certain respects, life finds its way to the most hazardous places.

Artificial Features as Marine Habitats

Man-made structures such as shipwrecks, offshore windfarms, drilling platforms and undersea pipes can offer alternatives, replacing some of the lost habitat. This investigation shows that explosives could be equally advantageous – the bloom of marine organisms on those in the Bay of Lübeck is likely to be found elsewhere.

Between the late 1940s and 1948, 1.6m tons of weapons were discarded off the German coast. Numerous of people loaded them in vessels; some were dropped in allocated areas, the remainder just discarded at sea en route. This is the initial instance researchers have documented how marine life has reacted.

Worldwide Examples of Marine Transformation

• In the United States, retired oil and gas structures have turned into marine habitats
• Sunken ships from the first world war have become habitats for marine life along the Potomac in Maryland
• Tank tracks that have become habitat to coral off Asan beach in Guam

These locations become even more valuable for marine life as the seas are increasingly depleted by fishing, bottom trawling and anchoring. Sunken ships and munitions areas effectively serve as refuges – they are not official reserves, but almost any kind of human activity is banned, says Vedenin. Consequently a numerous of species that are typically uncommon or declining, such as the Baltic cod, are flourishing.

Coming Factors

Anywhere armed conflict has occurred in the recent history, nearby oceans are usually littered with explosives, says Vedenin. Many millions of tonnes of dangerous substances rest in our marine environments.

The positions of these explosives are insufficiently recorded, in part because of national borders, classified armed forces records and the situation that records are buried in old files. They create an explosion and safety hazard, as well as danger from the ongoing emission of toxic chemicals.

As the German government and additional nations embark on clearing these artifacts, experts hope to safeguard the habitats that have established in their vicinity. In the Bay of Lübeck weapons are already being cleared.

Researchers recommend substitute these metal carcasses left from weapons with certain more secure, some non-dangerous objects, like maybe concrete structures, states Vedenin.

He now wishes that what transpires in the Bay of Lübeck sets a model for replacing structures after weapon clearance in different areas – because even the most destructive armaments can become framework for marine organisms.