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

In the slightly salty sea off the German coast rests a wasteland of World War II explosives, torpedoes and naval mines. Thrown off vessels at the end of the World War II and neglected, countless weapons have fused into clusters over the decades. They form a rusting layer on the shallow, silty seafloor of the Bay of Lübeck in the western part of the Baltic Sea.

Over the years, the explosive stockpile was overlooked and forgotten about. A growing number of tourists traveled to the sandy beaches and calm waters for jetskiing, kiteboarding and entertainment venues. Underwater, the weapons deteriorated.

We initially expected to see a desert, with nothing living there because it was all toxic, says a scientist.

When the first scientists went searching to see what they were affecting to the ecosystem, some of us thought they would find a barren area, with nothing living there because it was all toxic, explains a scientist.

What they found surprised them. Vedenin recalls his colleagues shouting with surprise when the underwater vehicle first sent the images back. It was a remarkable experience, he notes.

Thousands of sea creatures had made their homes among the munitions, developing a regenerated habitat denser than the seabed nearby.

This marine city was evidence to the tenacity of life. Indeed astonishing how much marine organisms we find in areas that are expected to be toxic and dangerous, he states.

More than 40 sea stars had piled on to one visible chunk of TNT. They were dwelling on iron containers, fuse pockets and storage boxes just a short distance from its explosive filling. Fish, crabs, sea anemones and mussels were all discovered on the historic weapons. It's similar to a reef ecosystem in terms of the abundance of animal life that was inhabiting the area, states Vedenin.

Unexpected Creature Concentration

An average of more than 40,000 creatures were residing on every square metre of the weapons, experts documented in their study on the observation. The nearby seabed was much less diverse, with only eight thousand individuals on every meter squared.

It is surprising that objects that are intended to kill all life are attracting so much marine organisms, says Vedenin. You can see how the natural world adjusts after a devastating occurrence such as the second world war and how, in some way, marine life finds its way to the most risky locations.

Man-made Structures as Ocean Habitats

Artificial structures such as sunken vessels, offshore windfarms, oil rigs and pipelines can create substitutes, replacing some of the removed marine environment. This research shows that weapons could be comparably beneficial – the explosion of life on those in the Bay of Lübeck is expected to be duplicated in other locations.

Between 1946 and the post-war period, 1.6m tons of munitions were disposed of off the German shoreline. Countless of individuals transported them in boats; some were dropped in designated sites, the remainder just thrown overboard while traveling. This is the first time researchers have studied how ocean organisms has reacted.

Worldwide Examples of Marine Adaptation

• In the US, decommissioned drilling platforms have become reef ecosystems
• Sunken ships from the first world war have become habitats for marine life along the Potomac in the state of Maryland
• Military vehicle parts that have become environment to coral off Asan beach in Guam

These places become even more valuable for wildlife as the oceans are increasingly stripped by commercial fishing, seafloor dredging and anchoring. Sunken ships and explosive disposal locations practically function as protected areas – they are not official reserves, but virtually any kind of human activity is prohibited, says Vedenin. Consequently a lot of organisms that are typically uncommon or declining, such as the cod fish, are prospering.

Coming Considerations

Anywhere armed conflict has taken place in the recent history, adjacent waters are typically littered with munitions, explains Vedenin. Many millions of tonnes of dangerous substances rest in our marine environments.

The positions of these munitions are inadequately documented, partially because of sovereign limits, secret defense data and the reality that documents are buried in old files. They pose an detonation and security hazard, as well as danger from the persistent emission of hazardous substances.

As Germany and additional nations begin removing these artifacts, scientists hope to safeguard the ecosystems that have developed nearby. In the Lübeck Bay weapons are already being cleared.

It would be wise to substitute these steel remains remaining from munitions with some safer, some non-dangerous materials, like maybe artificial reefs, suggests Vedenin.

He now wishes that what occurs in the Bay of Lübeck sets a model for substituting habitats after munitions removal elsewhere – because including the most damaging armaments can become framework for new life.