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

In the slightly salty waters off the Germany's coast lies a wasteland of World War II explosives, torpedoes and naval mines. Dumped from boats at the end of the second world war and forgotten about, thousands explosives have accumulated over the years. They form a corroding blanket on the low-depth, muddy seafloor of the Bay of Lübeck in the western part of the Baltic.

Over the decades, the explosive stockpile was ignored and neglected. A increasing amount of visitors flocked to the coastal areas and tranquil sea for jetskiing, kite surfing and entertainment venues. Underwater, the weapons deteriorated.

Some of us thought to see a barren area, with no organisms because it was all poisoned, says a scientist.

When the initial researchers went looking to see what they were doing to the ecosystem, researchers anticipated finding a desert, with no life because it was all contaminated, states the lead researcher.

What they found astonished them. Vedenin remembers his colleagues reacting with shock when the ROV first relayed pictures. That moment was a memorable occasion, he notes.

Thousands of marine animals had settled among the explosives, forming a revitalized habitat richer than the sea floor surrounding it.

This underwater metropolis was proof to the persistence of marine life. Indeed remarkable how much marine organisms we find in locations that are supposed to be dangerous and harmful, he says.

More than 40 sea stars had clustered on to one accessible fragment of explosive material. They were dwelling on metal shells, detonator compartments and transport cases just centimetres from its explosive filling. Fish, crabs, sea anemones and bivalves were all found on the historic weapons. It's similar to a coral reef in terms of the amount of animal life that was inhabiting the area, notes Vedenin.

Remarkable Creature Concentration

An average of more than 40,000 creatures were living on every square metre of the munitions, researchers wrote in their research on the finding. The nearby seabed was much poorer in life, with only 8,000 creatures on every square metre.

It is ironic that items that are meant to eliminate everything are drawing so much life, states Vedenin. It's evident how the natural world evolves after a major disaster such as the World War II and how, in certain respects, marine life returns to the most hazardous locations.

Artificial Structures as Marine Habitats

Artificial features such as sunken vessels, offshore windfarms, oil rigs and pipelines can offer alternatives, compensating for some of the removed habitat. This research demonstrates that explosives could be similarly positive – the proliferation of life on those in the Lübeck Bay is likely to be repeated in different areas.

Between 1946 and 1948, 1.6m tonnes of munitions were dumped off the German coast. Thousands of individuals placed them in barges; a portion were deposited in specific locations, the remainder just thrown overboard en route. This is the first time researchers have documented how marine life has responded.

Global Instances of Marine Adaptation

• In the US, decommissioned energy installations have transformed into coral reefs
• Submerged vessels from the first world war have become environments for wildlife along the Potomac in the state of Maryland
• Military vehicle parts that have become home to coral off Asan in the Pacific island

These areas become even more important for wildlife as the seas are increasingly stripped by fishing, bottom trawling and anchoring. Shipwrecks and explosive disposal locations effectively act as sanctuaries – they are not national parks, but nearly any kind of human activity is banned, says Vedenin. Consequently a lot of species that are typically rare or diminishing, such as the cod fish, are prospering.

Future Issues

Wherever armed conflict has happened in the last century, surrounding seas are typically littered with explosives, says Vedenin. Many millions of tons of explosive material remain in our oceans.

The positions of these munitions are insufficiently mapped, partially because of international boundaries, restricted military information and the fact that archives are buried in historic archives. They pose an explosion and safety hazard, as well as danger from the persistent emission of hazardous substances.

As Germany and additional nations embark on removing these artifacts, researchers aim to preserve the ecosystems that have formed around them. In the Bay of Lübeck explosives are currently being cleared.

It would be wise to substitute these iron structures originating from munitions with certain more secure, various safe materials, like perhaps artificial reefs, suggests Vedenin.

He presently aspires that what happens in the Bay of Lübeck establishes a example for replacing structures after weapon clearance elsewhere – because also the most destructive armaments can become foundation for ocean ecosystems.