World War II Explosives, Torpedo Heads and Mines: How Ocean Creatures Thrives on Dumped Weapons

In the slightly salty waters off the German coast lies a collection of World War II explosives, torpedo heads and mines. Dumped from boats at the end of the World War II and forgotten about, countless munitions have become matted together over the decades. They create a decaying blanket on the low-depth, muddy seafloor of the Lübeck Bay in the western part of the Baltic Sea.

Over the decades, the wartime weapons was overlooked and neglected. A growing number of tourists traveled to the sandy beaches and tranquil sea for water sports, kite surfing and amusement parks. Below the waves, the weapons decayed.

Some of us expected to see a lifeless zone, with nothing living there because it was all toxic, explains Andrey Vedenin.

When the initial researchers went searching to see what they were doing to the ecosystem, researchers thought they would find a lifeless zone, with no organisms because it was all contaminated, explains the lead researcher.

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

Numerous of ocean life had established habitats on the munitions, developing a revitalized marine community denser than the sea floor surrounding it.

This ocean community was evidence to the tenacity of life. Indeed surprising how much life we find in areas that are supposed to be hazardous and risky, he says.

More than 40 starfish had gathered on to one visible chunk of TNT. They were residing on steel casings, detonator compartments and carrying containers just a short distance from its volatile core. Marine fish, crabs, sea anemones and mussels were all observed on the old munitions. It resembles a marine reef in terms of the amount of animal life that was present, notes Vedenin.

Surprising Creature Concentration

An average of more than 40,000 organisms were dwelling on every square metre of the weapons, researchers wrote in their paper on the finding. The nearby seabed was much sparser, with only eight thousand individuals on every meter squared.

It is surprising that objects that are meant to destroy all life are hosting so much life, states Vedenin. It's evident how nature adjusts after a devastating occurrence such as the World War II and how, in certain respects, marine life establishes itself to the most dangerous places.

Man-made Structures as Marine Habitats

Artificial constructions such as sunken vessels, wind turbines, drilling platforms and pipelines can create replacements, replacing some of the lost habitat. This investigation reveals that explosives could be comparably beneficial – the bloom of marine organisms on those in the Bay of Lübeck is probable to be found elsewhere.

Between the late 1940s and the post-war period, 1.6 million tonnes of munitions were discarded off the German coast. Countless of individuals loaded them in barges; a portion were placed in designated locations, others just thrown overboard during transport. This is the initial instance researchers have studied how ocean organisms has reacted.

Worldwide Examples of Marine Adaptation

• In the US, decommissioned oil and gas structures have transformed into coral reefs
• Sunken ships from the first world war have become habitats for creatures along the Potomac in the state of Maryland
• Tank tracks that have become habitat to coral off Asan in Guam

These areas become even more important for marine life as the oceans are increasingly stripped by commercial fishing, seafloor dredging and anchoring. Sunken ships and weapons dump sites practically serve as sanctuaries – they are not official reserves, but nearly any kind of human activity is restricted, says Vedenin. As a result a many of species that are typically rare or declining, such as the Baltic cod, are flourishing.

Coming Issues

Wherever warfare has taken place in the past 100 years, adjacent waters are often strewn with weapons, explains Vedenin. Millions of tons of dangerous substances rest in our oceans.

The locations of these munitions are insufficiently mapped, partly because of national borders, classified military information and the situation that records are hidden in historical records. They present an detonation and security risk, as well as risk from the persistent leakage of poisonous compounds.

As the German government and additional nations start removing these artifacts, experts plan to safeguard the ecosystems that have formed around them. In the Bay of Lübeck explosives are presently being cleared.

Researchers recommend substitute these metal carcasses remaining from munitions with certain safer, various harmless objects, like perhaps artificial reefs, says Vedenin.

He currently wishes that what happens in the Bay of Lübeck sets a precedent for replacing habitats after munitions removal in different areas – because including the most harmful armaments can become scaffolding for ocean ecosystems.