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

In the slightly salty sea off the Germany's shoreline lies a wasteland of World War II explosives, torpedo heads and mines. Thrown off boats at the conclusion of the World War II and forgotten about, numerous explosives have accumulated over the decades. They comprise a corroding carpet on the low-depth, muddy seafloor of the Lübeck Bay in the western tip of the Baltic.

Over the years, the wartime weapons was ignored and forgotten about. A increasing amount of tourists flocked to the sandy beaches and calm waters for water sports, kiteboarding and entertainment venues. Underwater, the weapons deteriorated.

Some of us anticipated to see a lifeless zone, with nothing living there because it was all toxic, states the lead researcher.

When the team went searching to see what they were affecting to the marine environment, researchers anticipated finding a desert, with no life because it was all poisoned, says the lead researcher.

What they found amazed them. Vedenin remembers his colleagues shouting with surprise when the ROV first relayed pictures. This was a memorable occasion, he notes.

Countless of marine animals had made their homes on the explosives, developing a revitalized habitat denser than the seabed surrounding it.

This underwater metropolis was evidence to the resilience of marine life. Indeed astonishing how much life we find in places that are considered hazardous and harmful, he states.

Over 40 starfish had clustered on to one visible piece of TNT. They were living on iron containers, fuse pockets and transport cases just a short distance from its explosive filling. Fish, crustaceans, sea anemones and bivalves were all observed on the discarded explosives. It resembles a coral reef in terms of the quantity of creatures that was inhabiting the area, says Vedenin.

Remarkable Population Density

An mean of more than 40,000 creatures were living on every meter squared of the explosives, scientists documented in their paper on the finding. The surrounding area was much sparser, with only eight thousand creatures on every square metre.

It is surprising that objects that are meant to destroy all life are attracting so much marine organisms, explains Vedenin. One can observe how nature evolves after a catastrophic event such as the second world war and how, in some way, marine life finds its way to the most dangerous places.

Artificial Structures as Marine Environments

Man-made structures such as sunken vessels, wind turbines, oil rigs and pipelines can offer alternatives, replacing some of the removed marine environment. This research demonstrates that munitions could be equally beneficial – the bloom of marine organisms on those in the Lübeck Bay is expected to be repeated in different areas.

Between 1946 and 1948, 1.6m tonnes of weapons were dumped off the Germany's coast. Thousands of individuals placed them in barges; a portion were placed in specific areas, others just discarded at sea during transport. This is the initial instance researchers have recorded how marine life has responded.

Global Examples of Ocean Transformation

• In the US, decommissioned oil and gas structures have turned into coral reefs
• Submerged vessels from the World War I have become habitats for wildlife along the Potomac River in the state of Maryland
• Military vehicle parts that have become habitat to reef-building organisms off Asan in the Pacific island

These places become even more valuable for marine life as the oceans are increasingly depleted by fishing, seafloor dredging and boat mooring. Shipwrecks and explosive disposal locations essentially function as sanctuaries – they are not official reserves, but almost any kind of human activity is banned, states Vedenin. Consequently a numerous of organisms that are otherwise scarce or decreasing, such as the Baltic cod, are prospering.

Coming Factors

Anywhere warfare has happened in the past 100 years, nearby oceans are often littered with weapons, states Vedenin. Millions of tons of dangerous substances remain in our marine environments.

The sites of these munitions are poorly documented, partially because of international boundaries, restricted military information and the reality that documents are hidden in historic archives. They present an explosion and safety risk, as well as threat from the persistent emission of toxic chemicals.

As the German government and additional nations start clearing these remains, experts aim to safeguard the habitats that have established in their vicinity. In the Lübeck Bay munitions are already being cleared.

Researchers recommend substitute these iron structures left from munitions with some less dangerous, some non-dangerous structures, like maybe concrete structures, suggests Vedenin.

He now wishes that what occurs in Lübeck sets a example for replacing habitats after munitions removal elsewhere – because also the most damaging explosives can become scaffolding for new life.