World War II Munitions, Torpedo Heads and Naval Mines: The Way Ocean Creatures Flourishes on Discarded Weapons

In the brackish waters off the Germany's coast sits a wasteland of Nazi bombs, torpedoes and naval mines. Thrown off boats at the end of the second world war and forgotten about, countless munitions have become matted together over the decades. They form a corroding carpet on the shallow, muddy seafloor of the Bay of Lübeck in the western tip of the Baltic.

Over the years, the explosive stockpile was ignored and forgotten about. A growing number of tourists traveled to the coastal areas and calm waters for jetskiing, kite surfing and entertainment venues. Below the waves, the munitions decayed.

Researchers thought to see a lifeless zone, with no organisms because it was all contaminated, says Andrey Vedenin.

When the first scientists went searching to see what they were affecting to the marine environment, researchers expected to see a barren area, with no organisms because it was all toxic, says the lead researcher.

What they discovered astonished them. Vedenin recalls his scientists exclaiming in amazement when the ROV first sent the images back. This was a great moment, he says.

Numerous of marine animals had established habitats on the munitions, creating a renewed marine community richer than the sea floor surrounding it.

This marine city was testament to the persistence of life. Truly astonishing how much life we observe in locations that are supposed to be hazardous and risky, he explains.

More than 40 sea stars had gathered on to one exposed piece of explosive material. They were living on iron containers, ignition chambers and transport cases just a short distance from its dangerous content. Marine fish, crustaceans, sea anemones and mussels were all observed on the discarded explosives. It resembles a reef ecosystem in terms of the abundance of animal life that was inhabiting the area, notes Vedenin.

Remarkable Population Density

An mean of more than forty thousand animals were living on every square metre of the munitions, researchers reported in their paper on the discovery. The nearby seabed was much poorer in life, with only eight thousand creatures on every square metre.

It is surprising that items that are meant to eliminate all life are hosting so much marine organisms, explains Vedenin. It's evident how nature adjusts after a major disaster such as the World War II and how, in some way, marine life finds its way to the most dangerous places.

Man-made Structures as Ocean Environments

Man-made constructions such as shipwrecks, wind turbines, drilling platforms and undersea pipes can provide replacements, restoring some of the destroyed marine environment. This study demonstrates that munitions could be similarly beneficial – the explosion of marine organisms on those in the Lübeck Bay is likely to be duplicated in different areas.

Between 1946 and 1948, 1.6 million tonnes of arms were disposed of off the German shoreline. Thousands of workers placed them in vessels; some were placed in specific areas, others just dumped during transport. This is the first time researchers have studied how marine life has responded.

Global Examples of Marine Transformation

• In the US, retired energy installations have turned 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 environment to reef-building organisms off Asan in the Pacific island

These places become even more important for organisms as the marine environments are increasingly denuded by fishing, bottom trawling and anchoring. Sunken ships and weapons dump sites essentially function as sanctuaries – they are not national parks, but nearly any kind of human activity is prohibited, explains Vedenin. Consequently a lot of marine species that are typically rare or declining, such as the Baltic cod, are prospering.

Coming Considerations

Anywhere warfare has occurred in the recent history, adjacent waters are often littered with explosives, states Vedenin. Many millions of tonnes of explosive material rest in our oceans.

The sites of these munitions are inadequately recorded, partially because of sovereign limits, classified armed forces records and the reality that archives are hidden in old files. They pose an explosion and safety hazard, as well as threat from the ongoing emission of hazardous substances.

As Germany and other countries begin clearing these relics, researchers plan to preserve the habitats that have established nearby. In the Lübeck Bay munitions are presently being removed.

We should replace these steel remains originating from weapons with certain safer, some non-dangerous materials, like perhaps artificial reefs, says Vedenin.

He now hopes that what occurs in Lübeck establishes a example for substituting structures after munitions removal in other locations – because also the most destructive explosives can become scaffolding for ocean ecosystems.