Nazi Munitions, Torpedo Heads and Naval Mines: How Marine Life Flourishes on Dumped Armaments

In the brackish sea off the German shoreline rests a wasteland of World War II explosives, torpedo heads and naval mines. Thrown off vessels at the conclusion of the second world war and forgotten about, numerous explosives have fused into clusters over the years. They form a rusting blanket on the shallow, silty ocean floor of the Bay of Lübeck in the western tip of the Baltic Sea.

Over the decades, the explosive stockpile was ignored and neglected. A increasing amount of tourists flocked to the coastal areas and tranquil sea for jetskiing, kite surfing and entertainment venues. Below the waves, the weapons decayed.

We initially thought to see a barren area, with nothing living there because it was all poisoned, states Andrey Vedenin.

When the first scientists went investigating to see what they were affecting to the marine environment, some of us thought they would find a barren area, with no life because it was all toxic, states the lead researcher.

What they observed astonished them. Vedenin remembers his colleagues exclaiming in amazement when the submersible first sent the images back. That moment was a remarkable experience, he recalls.

Numerous of ocean life had established habitats on the weapons, forming a regenerated marine community denser than the ocean bottom around it.

This marine city was testament to the tenacity of life. Truly remarkable how much marine organisms we find in places that are considered hazardous and harmful, he states.

Over 40 sea stars had clustered on to one visible piece of explosive material. They were living on steel casings, ignition chambers and storage boxes just a short distance from its dangerous content. Marine fish, crustaceans, anemones and mussels were all observed on the old munitions. It's similar to a reef ecosystem in terms of the abundance of fauna that was present, states Vedenin.

Remarkable Population Density

An average of more than forty thousand creatures were dwelling on every square metre of the weapons, researchers documented in their paper on the finding. The surrounding area was much less diverse, with only 8,000 organisms on every meter squared.

It is paradoxical that items that are designed to destroy all life are hosting so much marine organisms, says Vedenin. You can see how the natural world evolves after a devastating occurrence such as the second world war and how, in some way, life returns to the most risky locations.

Artificial Features as Ocean Habitats

Artificial constructions such as shipwrecks, offshore windfarms, oil rigs and undersea pipes can offer substitutes, restoring some of the removed habitat. This study shows that munitions could be equally advantageous – the explosion of marine organisms on those in the Bay of Lübeck is likely to be duplicated in different areas.

Between 1946 and 1948, 1.6 million tonnes of weapons were dumped off the German shoreline. Numerous of individuals transported them in boats; some were placed in designated areas, the remainder just thrown overboard during transport. This is the first time scientists have studied how marine life has responded.

Global Examples of Marine Transformation

• In the United States, retired drilling platforms have turned into reef ecosystems
• Shipwrecks from the World War I have become environments for creatures along the Potomac in the state of Maryland
• Tank tracks that have become home to coral off Asan beach in Guam

These places become even more important for marine life as the oceans are increasingly denuded by commercial fishing, bottom trawling and anchoring. Sunken ships and weapons dump sites effectively serve as sanctuaries – they are not official reserves, but nearly any kind of anthropogenic disturbance is restricted, says Vedenin. Therefore a many of marine species that are usually rare or decreasing, such as the Baltic cod, are prospering.

Future Considerations

Wherever military conflict has happened in the recent history, surrounding seas are often containing weapons, explains Vedenin. Many millions of tonnes of volatile compounds rest in our oceans.

The positions of these munitions are insufficiently recorded, in part because of international boundaries, classified armed forces records and the situation that records are stored in historical records. They present an detonation and safety risk, as well as risk from the ongoing emission of poisonous compounds.

As the German government and different states begin removing these artifacts, experts aim to protect the marine communities that have established in their vicinity. In the Lübeck Bay weapons are currently being cleared.

It would be wise to substitute these steel remains remaining from munitions with some more secure, various harmless objects, like possibly concrete structures, suggests Vedenin.

He currently hopes that what occurs in Lübeck creates a model for replacing habitats after weapon clearance elsewhere – because also the most damaging weaponry can become scaffolding for new life.