World War II Bombs, Torpedo Heads and Mines: How Marine Life Thrives on Discarded Weapons

In the brackish waters off the German coast sits a graveyard of World War II explosives, torpedoes and mines. Discarded from barges at the conclusion of the second world war and neglected, countless weapons have accumulated over the decades. They form a rusting carpet on the shallow, muddy seafloor of the Bay of Lübeck in the western part 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 jetskiing, kiteboarding and entertainment venues. Underwater, the weapons deteriorated.

Researchers anticipated to see a desert, with no life because it was all toxic, says the lead researcher.

When the first scientists went looking to see what they were affecting to the marine environment, researchers thought they would find a barren area, with nothing living there because it was all contaminated, explains Andrey Vedenin.

What they observed astonished them. Vedenin recounts his colleagues shouting with surprise when the submersible first transmitted footage. That moment was a great moment, he notes.

Countless of marine animals had made their homes on the weapons, forming a renewed marine community richer than the ocean bottom surrounding it.

This ocean community was evidence to the resilience of life. It is actually astonishing how much marine organisms we discover in areas that are expected to be hazardous and harmful, he says.

In excess of 40 starfish had gathered on to one accessible chunk of TNT. They were dwelling on metal shells, fuse pockets and carrying containers just a short distance from its dangerous content. Marine fish, crustaceans, sea anemones and bivalves were all found on the discarded explosives. It's similar to a coral reef in terms of the quantity of creatures that was inhabiting the area, notes Vedenin.

Unexpected Population Density

An average of more than forty thousand animals were living on every meter squared of the weapons, researchers wrote in their paper on the observation. The nearby seabed was much poorer in life, with only 8,000 organisms on every square metre.

It is surprising that objects that are designed to eliminate everything are attracting so much life, says Vedenin. One can observe how the natural world adjusts after a catastrophic event such as the second world war and how, in certain respects, life establishes itself to the most risky places.

Man-made Structures as Marine Habitats

Man-made structures such as sunken vessels, wind turbines, drilling platforms and undersea pipes can create alternatives, compensating for some of the destroyed habitat. This investigation shows that explosives could be similarly beneficial – the explosion of marine organisms on those in the Lübeck Bay is likely to be found in other locations.

Between the late 1940s and 1948, 1.6m tonnes of arms were dumped off the German coast. Numerous of people transported them in boats; some were deposited in allocated locations, the remainder just dumped while traveling. This is the initial instance researchers have recorded how marine life has responded.

Global Examples of Ocean Adaptation

• In the US, retired oil and gas structures have transformed into coral reefs
• Sunken ships from the first world war have become homes for wildlife along the Potomac in the state of Maryland
• Military vehicle parts that have become environment to coral off Asan beach in the Pacific island

These places become even more crucial for wildlife as the marine environments are increasingly stripped by fishing, bottom trawling and boat mooring. Sunken ships and munitions areas practically act as sanctuaries – they are not official reserves, but nearly any kind of human activity is restricted, states Vedenin. As a result a many of marine species that are typically scarce or diminishing, such as the Baltic cod, are thriving.

Coming Considerations

Wherever warfare has happened in the past 100 years, nearby oceans are often strewn with explosives, explains Vedenin. Millions of tonnes of volatile compounds lie in our seas.

The positions of these explosives are insufficiently recorded, partially because of national borders, secret defense data and the reality that documents are stored in old files. They create an explosion and safety hazard, as well as threat from the ongoing release of toxic chemicals.

As the German government and additional nations start clearing these remains, scientists plan to protect the marine communities that have developed in their vicinity. In the Bay of Lübeck weapons are already being removed.

We should replace these steel remains left from weapons with some more secure, various harmless materials, like maybe man-made habitats, says Vedenin.

He now wishes that what transpires in the Bay of Lübeck creates a example for replacing material after weapon clearance in other locations – because including the most damaging armaments can become foundation for new life.