World War II Munitions, Torpedoes and Mines: The Way Marine Life Prosper on Discarded Weapons

In the brackish sea off the Germany's coast lies a collection of World War II explosives, torpedoes and mines. Dumped from boats at the end of the World War II and forgotten about, numerous weapons have accumulated over the decades. They create a corroding blanket on the shallow, muddy seafloor of the Bay of Lübeck in the western tip of the Baltic.

Over the years, the wartime weapons was ignored and neglected. A increasing amount of tourists traveled to the coastal areas and tranquil sea for jetskiing, kiteboarding and entertainment venues. Underwater, the weapons deteriorated.

Researchers expected to see a barren area, with nothing living there because it was all toxic, says the lead researcher.

When the initial researchers went looking to see what they were doing to the marine environment, the team thought they would find a lifeless zone, with nothing living there because it was all poisoned, says a scientist.

What they observed amazed them. Vedenin recounts his scientists shouting with surprise when the submersible first transmitted footage. This was a memorable occasion, he recalls.

Thousands of ocean life had made their homes amid the explosives, forming a renewed marine community richer than the sea floor nearby.

This ocean community was proof to the tenacity of life. It is actually remarkable how much marine organisms we discover in locations that are supposed to be dangerous and harmful, he explains.

In excess of 40 starfish had gathered on to one visible fragment of TNT. They were dwelling on steel casings, ignition chambers and storage boxes just a short distance from its volatile core. Fish, crabs, sea anemones and bivalves were all discovered on the discarded explosives. It resembles a reef ecosystem in terms of the quantity of fauna that was inhabiting the area, states Vedenin.

Remarkable Population Density

An average of more than forty thousand organisms were living on every square metre of the munitions, researchers documented in their study on the finding. The surrounding area was much sparser, with only 8,000 organisms on every meter squared.

It is ironic that things that are intended to kill all life are attracting so much life, states Vedenin. It's evident how nature adapts after a devastating occurrence such as the second world war and how, in certain respects, marine life establishes itself to the most hazardous areas.

Artificial Structures as Marine Habitats

Artificial constructions such as shipwrecks, wind turbines, drilling platforms and undersea pipes can provide alternatives, replacing some of the lost habitat. This investigation shows that munitions could be similarly advantageous – the proliferation of marine organisms on those in the Lübeck Bay is expected to be found in different areas.

Between the late 1940s and 1948, 1.6 million tons of arms were disposed of off the Germany's shoreline. Thousands of individuals transported them in barges; a portion were dropped in designated areas, others just dumped while traveling. This is the initial instance experts have documented how marine life has responded.

Worldwide Examples of Marine Transformation

• In the United States, retired oil and gas structures have transformed into reef ecosystems
• Shipwrecks from the World War I have become habitats for marine life along the Potomac in the state of Maryland
• Tank tracks that have become environment to reef-building organisms off Asan in Guam

These areas become even more crucial for organisms as the oceans are increasingly denuded by commercial fishing, bottom trawling and boat mooring. Shipwrecks and munitions areas practically function as protected areas – they are not official reserves, but nearly any kind of human activity is restricted, states Vedenin. Therefore a many of organisms that are otherwise rare or declining, such as the cod fish, are flourishing.

Future Issues

Anywhere warfare has happened in the past 100 years, nearby oceans are often littered with explosives, states Vedenin. Many millions of tonnes of volatile compounds rest in our seas.

The locations of these explosives are insufficiently documented, in part because of international boundaries, restricted military information and the situation that documents are buried in historic archives. They present an explosion and safety hazard, as well as risk from the persistent leakage of toxic chemicals.

As the German government and other countries embark on clearing these artifacts, researchers plan to protect the ecosystems that have formed around them. In the Bay of Lübeck weapons are already being extracted.

It would be wise to replace these steel remains originating from weapons with some less dangerous, some safe materials, like possibly artificial reefs, suggests Vedenin.

He currently hopes that what occurs in the Bay of Lübeck sets a precedent for replacing material after explosive extraction elsewhere – because including the most destructive weaponry can become foundation for ocean ecosystems.