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

In the brackish waters off the German coast rests a collection of World War II explosives, torpedoes and mines. Thrown off barges at the conclusion of the World War II and forgotten about, numerous explosives have become matted together over the years. They create a decaying layer on the low-depth, silty ocean floor of the Lübeck Bay in the western tip of the Baltic.

Over the decades, the explosive stockpile was ignored and neglected. A growing number of visitors traveled to the coastal areas and tranquil sea for jetskiing, kiteboarding and amusement parks. Below the waves, the weapons deteriorated.

We initially expected to see a barren area, with nothing living there because it was all contaminated, states Andrey Vedenin.

When the initial researchers went looking 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 a scientist.

What they observed surprised them. Vedenin remembers his scientists reacting with shock when the ROV first sent the images back. That moment was a great moment, he says.

Numerous of ocean life had settled among the munitions, creating a regenerated marine community denser than the ocean bottom around it.

This underwater metropolis was testament to the tenacity of marine life. It is actually surprising how much marine organisms we find in places that are considered toxic and harmful, he states.

Over 40 starfish had clustered on to one visible fragment of TNT. They were residing on iron containers, detonator compartments and carrying containers just a short distance from its explosive filling. Marine fish, crustaceans, anemones and bivalves were all discovered on the old munitions. It resembles a marine reef in terms of the amount of fauna that was inhabiting the area, states Vedenin.

Unexpected Creature Concentration

An average of more than 40,000 animals were living on every square metre of the munitions, researchers wrote in their research on the finding. The adjacent region was much less diverse, with only 8,000 individuals on every meter squared.

It is surprising that things that are designed to eliminate everything are drawing so much marine organisms, says Vedenin. It's evident how the natural world adapts after a devastating occurrence such as the World War II and how, in some way, life establishes itself to the most dangerous locations.

Artificial Features as Marine Environments

Man-made constructions such as sunken vessels, wind turbines, oil rigs and undersea pipes can create alternatives, restoring some of the destroyed habitat. This study demonstrates that weapons could be similarly positive – the explosion of marine organisms on those in the Lübeck Bay is expected to be repeated in other locations.

Between 1946 and 1948, 1.6m tons of arms were disposed of off the Germany's shoreline. Numerous of workers loaded them in boats; a portion were placed in designated sites, others just thrown overboard while traveling. This is the initial instance researchers have recorded how ocean organisms has reacted.

Global Instances of Marine Adaptation

• In the US, retired drilling platforms have turned into marine habitats
• Shipwrecks from the first world war have become habitats for creatures along the Potomac River in the state of Maryland
• Tank tracks that have become environment to reef-building organisms off Asan beach in Guam

These places become even more important for wildlife as the marine environments are increasingly stripped by fishing, seafloor dredging and anchoring. Sunken ships and munitions areas practically act as protected areas – they are not national parks, but nearly any kind of anthropogenic disturbance is restricted, says Vedenin. Therefore a lot of organisms that are typically rare or decreasing, such as the cod fish, are prospering.

Future Factors

Anywhere warfare has happened in the recent history, surrounding seas are typically littered with weapons, says Vedenin. Millions of tonnes of volatile compounds remain in our marine environments.

The positions of these explosives are poorly recorded, in part because of national borders, secret defense data and the situation that archives are stored in historical records. They pose an detonation and security risk, as well as risk from the ongoing release of toxic chemicals.

As Germany and different states start removing these remains, experts plan to safeguard the ecosystems that have formed around them. In the Bay of Lübeck explosives are already being removed.

We should replace these iron structures left from weapons with some more secure, various non-dangerous objects, like perhaps man-made habitats, states Vedenin.

He now hopes that what occurs in Lübeck establishes a precedent for replacing structures after munitions removal in other locations – because including the most harmful armaments can become foundation for marine organisms.