World War II Bombs, Torpedoes and Naval Mines: How Marine Life Flourishes on Discarded Armaments

In the slightly salty sea off the Germany's shoreline lies a collection of World War II explosives, torpedoes and naval mines. Discarded from boats at the end of the second world war and neglected, numerous weapons have fused into clusters over the years. They form a corroding blanket on the low-depth, silty seafloor of the Bay of Lübeck in the western tip of the Baltic Sea.

Over the years, the Nazi arsenal was ignored and forgotten about. A increasing amount of visitors traveled to the sandy beaches and calm waters for jetskiing, kite surfing and amusement parks. Beneath the surface, the weapons decayed.

Some of us expected to see a barren area, with no organisms because it was all poisoned, says the lead researcher.

When the team went investigating to see what they were affecting to the marine environment, researchers anticipated finding a barren area, with no organisms because it was all toxic, explains the lead researcher.

What they observed amazed them. Vedenin remembers his team members exclaiming in amazement when the underwater vehicle first transmitted footage. That moment was a memorable occasion, he notes.

Countless of sea creatures had established habitats among the weapons, creating a revitalized habitat richer than the sea floor surrounding it.

This ocean community was testament to the persistence of marine life. Truly surprising how much life we observe in locations that are considered hazardous and risky, he states.

In excess of 40 sea stars had piled on to one visible fragment of explosive material. They were living on metal shells, ignition chambers and storage boxes just centimetres from its dangerous content. Marine fish, crabs, anemones and bivalves were all observed on the historic weapons. It's similar to a marine reef in terms of the abundance of fauna that was inhabiting the area, notes Vedenin.

Unexpected Population Density

An mean of more than 40,000 animals were living on every meter squared of the weapons, researchers documented in their research on the observation. The adjacent region was much less diverse, with only eight thousand organisms on every square metre.

It is surprising that objects that are intended to destroy all life are drawing so much life, explains Vedenin. It's evident how the natural world adapts after a devastating occurrence such as the second world war and how, in some way, life returns to the most hazardous areas.

Artificial Structures as Ocean Environments

Artificial features such as sunken vessels, wind turbines, oil rigs and pipelines can provide replacements, restoring some of the lost marine environment. This study reveals that munitions could be equally positive – the bloom of life on those in the Lübeck Bay is expected to be repeated elsewhere.

Between 1946 and 1948, 1.6 million tonnes of weapons were discarded off the German shoreline. Numerous of workers placed them in boats; some were deposited in designated sites, others just thrown overboard while traveling. This is the initial instance experts have documented how marine life has adapted.

Global Examples of Ocean Adaptation

• In the US, decommissioned energy installations have transformed into reef ecosystems
• Submerged vessels from the World War I have become environments for wildlife along the Potomac River in the state of Maryland
• Tank tracks that have become home to coral off Asan beach in the Pacific island

These areas become even more crucial for organisms as the marine environments are increasingly denuded by commercial fishing, bottom trawling and anchoring. Shipwrecks and weapons dump sites effectively act as sanctuaries – they are not official reserves, but virtually any kind of human activity is banned, explains Vedenin. Consequently a many of organisms that are usually uncommon or declining, such as the Baltic cod, are prospering.

Future Factors

Wherever warfare has happened in the recent history, nearby oceans are usually containing weapons, says Vedenin. Millions of tonnes of dangerous substances remain in our marine environments.

The locations of these weapons are inadequately documented, partially because of international boundaries, classified defense data and the situation that documents are buried in historic archives. They present an explosion and safety risk, as well as threat from the ongoing emission of poisonous compounds.

As Germany and other countries embark on clearing these relics, scientists plan to safeguard the ecosystems that have formed in their vicinity. In the Lübeck Bay explosives are already being extracted.

Researchers recommend replace these steel remains originating from munitions with some safer, various non-dangerous objects, like possibly artificial reefs, says Vedenin.

He currently wishes that what transpires in Lübeck establishes a example for substituting material after explosive extraction in different areas – because including the most damaging explosives can become scaffolding for ocean ecosystems.