World War II Munitions, Torpedo Heads and Naval Mines: How Ocean Creatures Thrives on Abandoned Weapons

In the slightly salty waters off the German coast lies a wasteland of Nazi bombs, torpedoes and mines. Discarded from vessels at the conclusion of the World War II and forgotten about, thousands weapons have accumulated over the years. They create a corroding blanket on the shallow, silty seafloor of the Lübeck Bay in the western tip of the Baltic Sea.

Over the decades, the wartime weapons was overlooked and forgotten about. A increasing amount of tourists came to the coastal areas and calm waters for jetskiing, kiteboarding and entertainment venues. Beneath the surface, the munitions decayed.

Researchers thought to see a barren area, with no life because it was all poisoned, explains Andrey Vedenin.

When the initial researchers went looking to see what they were doing to the marine environment, some of us expected to see a barren area, with no life because it was all contaminated, explains a scientist.

What they observed surprised them. Vedenin recalls his colleagues exclaiming in amazement when the submersible first transmitted footage. This was a great moment, he notes.

Numerous of ocean life had established habitats among the weapons, forming a revitalized habitat denser than the ocean bottom surrounding it.

This marine city was proof to the resilience of marine life. Indeed remarkable how much life we discover in locations that are supposed to be dangerous and dangerous, he explains.

In excess of 40 starfish had gathered on to one exposed fragment of explosive material. They were dwelling on metal shells, fuse pockets and carrying containers just a short distance from its explosive filling. Marine fish, crustaceans, anemones and bivalves were all found on the historic weapons. You could compare it with a marine reef in terms of the amount of creatures that was there, says Vedenin.

Unexpected Creature Concentration

An average of more than forty thousand creatures were residing on every meter squared of the weapons, scientists documented in their research on the discovery. The nearby seabed was much sparser, with only eight thousand creatures on every meter squared.

It is paradoxical that items that are intended to kill all life are hosting so much life, says Vedenin. One can observe how the natural world evolves after a catastrophic event such as the World War II and how, in some way, life returns to the most hazardous areas.

Man-made Features as Marine Habitats

Artificial structures such as sunken vessels, wind turbines, drilling platforms and pipelines can offer substitutes, compensating for some of the lost marine environment. This study reveals that weapons could be similarly advantageous – the proliferation of marine organisms on those in the Bay of Lübeck is probable to be found in other locations.

Between 1946 and 1948, 1.6 million tons of munitions were dumped off the German coast. Thousands of workers placed them in vessels; some were placed in specific sites, others just discarded at sea while traveling. This is the initial instance experts have studied how ocean organisms has reacted.

Global Instances of Ocean Adaptation

• In the US, retired drilling platforms have turned into marine habitats
• Sunken ships from the World War I have become homes for creatures along the Potomac in the state of Maryland
• Military vehicle parts that have become home to coral off Asan beach in Guam

These areas become even more crucial for organisms as the marine environments are increasingly depleted by fishing, seafloor dredging and anchoring. Shipwrecks and munitions areas effectively function as protected areas – they are not official reserves, but nearly any kind of human activity is banned, states Vedenin. Consequently a numerous of marine species that are otherwise scarce or declining, such as the Baltic cod, are thriving.

Coming Issues

Wherever warfare has occurred in the past 100 years, nearby oceans are often strewn with explosives, says Vedenin. Millions of tons of volatile compounds lie in our oceans.

The locations of these explosives are inadequately documented, in part because of international boundaries, restricted defense data and the situation that archives are buried in historical records. They present an detonation and security danger, as well as danger from the continuous leakage of toxic chemicals.

As Germany and other countries begin removing these remains, scientists aim to safeguard the ecosystems that have formed nearby. In the Lübeck Bay explosives are presently being removed.

It would be wise to substitute these steel remains originating from munitions with some more secure, some harmless objects, like perhaps man-made habitats, states Vedenin.

He now wishes that what transpires in Lübeck creates a example for replacing structures after munitions removal in other locations – because including the most destructive explosives can become foundation for new life.