World War II Explosives, Torpedo Heads and Mines: How Ocean Creatures Flourishes on Abandoned Armaments

In the slightly salty waters off the Germany's coast sits a collection of World War II explosives, torpedoes and mines. Dumped from boats at the end of the second world war and left behind, thousands munitions have become matted together over the years. They form a corroding blanket on the shallow, muddy seafloor of the Bay of Lübeck in the western tip of the Baltic Sea.

Over the years, the explosive stockpile was overlooked and forgotten about. A increasing amount of tourists traveled to the coastal areas and calm waters for jetskiing, kite surfing and amusement parks. Below the waves, the weapons eroded.

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

When the first scientists went investigating to see what they were affecting to the ecosystem, the team anticipated finding a barren area, with no life because it was all contaminated, states a scientist.

What they observed astonished them. Vedenin remembers his team members shouting with surprise when the ROV first sent the images back. That moment was a remarkable experience, he notes.

Countless of sea creatures had made their homes among the munitions, forming a renewed marine community more populous than the ocean bottom around it.

This marine city was proof to the resilience of marine life. Truly astonishing how much life we observe in locations that are supposed to be hazardous and harmful, he says.

More than 40 starfish had clustered on to one exposed fragment of explosive material. They were dwelling on steel casings, fuse pockets and storage boxes just a short distance from its dangerous content. Fish, crabs, anemones and mussels were all found on the historic weapons. It's similar to a coral reef in terms of the amount of creatures that was inhabiting the area, says Vedenin.

Unexpected Creature Concentration

An mean of more than forty thousand animals were residing on every meter squared of the explosives, scientists reported in their research on the observation. The surrounding area was much sparser, with only eight thousand creatures on every meter squared.

It is surprising that things that are meant to kill all life are attracting so much marine organisms, explains Vedenin. It's evident how the natural world adjusts after a major disaster such as the second world war and how, in some way, marine life finds its way to the most hazardous places.

Man-made Structures as Marine Habitats

Artificial constructions such as sunken vessels, wind turbines, oil rigs and undersea pipes can create alternatives, restoring some of the lost marine environment. This study shows that munitions could be comparably beneficial – the proliferation of marine organisms on those in the Lübeck Bay is likely to be found in different areas.

Between 1946 and 1948, 1.6 million tons of munitions were discarded off the German coast. Thousands of individuals loaded them in barges; a portion were deposited in allocated areas, others just discarded at sea while traveling. This is the initial instance researchers have documented how ocean organisms has adapted.

Worldwide Instances of Ocean Transformation

• In the United States, retired drilling platforms have transformed into coral reefs
• Submerged vessels from the first world war have become habitats for wildlife along the Potomac River in the state of Maryland
• Tank tracks that have become home to coral off Asan in Guam

These areas become even more crucial for wildlife as the seas are increasingly denuded by commercial fishing, seafloor dredging and boat mooring. Shipwrecks and munitions areas effectively act as sanctuaries – they are not national parks, but virtually any kind of anthropogenic disturbance is prohibited, says Vedenin. As a result a numerous of marine species that are otherwise uncommon or decreasing, such as the cod fish, are prospering.

Future Considerations

Wherever warfare has taken place in the recent history, nearby oceans are usually strewn with explosives, says Vedenin. Many millions of tonnes of volatile compounds remain in our oceans.

The positions of these munitions are inadequately documented, partly because of national borders, secret defense data and the situation that records are stored in historic archives. They create an detonation and safety risk, as well as danger from the continuous leakage of toxic chemicals.

As the German government and different states start removing these remains, experts plan to protect the ecosystems that have developed in their vicinity. In the Bay of Lübeck weapons are presently being extracted.

Researchers recommend substitute these iron structures remaining from weapons with certain less dangerous, some non-dangerous structures, like maybe concrete structures, states Vedenin.

He currently wishes that what occurs in Lübeck sets a model for substituting habitats after weapon clearance in different areas – because including the most harmful weaponry can become framework for ocean ecosystems.