World War II Explosives, Torpedo Heads and Naval Mines: The Way Marine Life Flourishes on Discarded Armaments

In the slightly salty waters off the German shoreline lies a collection of Nazi bombs, torpedoes and naval mines. Dumped from vessels at the conclusion of the second world war and left behind, numerous munitions have accumulated over the decades. They create a rusting layer on the shallow, muddy seafloor of the Bay of Lübeck in the western tip of the Baltic Sea.

Over the decades, the explosive stockpile was ignored and forgotten about. A growing number of tourists flocked to the coastal areas and calm waters for jetskiing, kiteboarding and entertainment venues. Below the waves, the weapons deteriorated.

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

When the initial researchers went looking to see what they were affecting to the marine environment, some of us anticipated finding a barren area, with no life because it was all poisoned, states a scientist.

What they found amazed them. Vedenin recalls his scientists shouting with surprise when the ROV first sent the images back. It was a remarkable experience, he recalls.

Countless of ocean life had settled amid the munitions, forming a revitalized habitat denser than the sea floor around it.

This underwater metropolis was evidence to the persistence of life. It is actually surprising how much life we observe in areas that are supposed to be toxic and dangerous, he states.

In excess of 40 sea stars had gathered on to one exposed chunk of explosive material. They were living on steel casings, fuse pockets and transport cases just a short distance from its explosive filling. Fish, crabs, sea anemones and bivalves were all discovered on the historic weapons. It resembles a reef ecosystem in terms of the amount of fauna that was present, notes Vedenin.

Unexpected Population Density

An average of more than forty thousand organisms were residing on every square metre of the weapons, experts wrote in their paper on the observation. The surrounding area was much sparser, with only 8,000 creatures on every meter squared.

It is paradoxical that things that are designed to eliminate all life are hosting so much marine organisms, explains Vedenin. You can see how the natural world adjusts after a catastrophic event such as the World War II and how, in certain respects, marine life finds its way to the most hazardous places.

Artificial Features as Ocean Environments

Artificial structures such as sunken vessels, wind turbines, drilling platforms and undersea pipes can provide substitutes, replacing some of the removed habitat. This research demonstrates that munitions could be equally beneficial – the bloom of marine organisms on those in the Lübeck Bay is expected to be duplicated in different areas.

Between the late 1940s and the post-war period, 1.6m tons of weapons were disposed of off the German shoreline. Countless of people placed them in barges; a portion were dropped in allocated sites, others just dumped en route. This is the first time researchers have recorded how ocean organisms has responded.

Global Instances of Marine Adaptation

• In the United States, retired drilling platforms have transformed into marine habitats
• Submerged vessels from the World War I have become homes for wildlife along the Potomac River in the state of Maryland
• Military vehicle parts that have become environment to reef-building organisms off Asan in Guam

These areas become even more important for organisms as the oceans are increasingly depleted by fishing, seafloor dredging and anchoring. Shipwrecks and explosive disposal locations essentially function as refuges – they are not official reserves, but almost any kind of anthropogenic disturbance is prohibited, explains Vedenin. Consequently a numerous of organisms that are typically rare or decreasing, such as the Baltic cod, are prospering.

Coming Issues

Wherever armed conflict has taken place in the recent history, adjacent waters are usually strewn with weapons, states Vedenin. Millions of tonnes of explosive material rest in our seas.

The sites of these explosives are insufficiently mapped, partially because of national borders, secret military information and the fact that records are hidden in historical records. They create an explosion and safety risk, as well as danger from the persistent emission of poisonous compounds.

As Germany and different states begin clearing these artifacts, researchers plan to protect the ecosystems that have developed nearby. In the Bay of Lübeck weapons are currently being cleared.

Researchers recommend substitute these iron structures remaining from weapons with some safer, various non-dangerous materials, like maybe artificial reefs, states Vedenin.

He currently wishes that what occurs in the Bay of Lübeck sets a model for replacing habitats after weapon clearance in other locations – because including the most harmful armaments can become scaffolding for ocean ecosystems.