Nazi Explosives, Torpedo Heads and Mines: The Way Marine Life Flourishes on Abandoned Weapons

In the brackish waters off the German coast rests a collection of Nazi bombs, torpedoes and mines. Thrown off vessels at the end of the second world war and neglected, thousands weapons have fused into clusters over the years. They comprise a corroding layer on the low-depth, muddy seafloor of the Bay of Lübeck in the western part of the Baltic Sea.

Over the decades, the explosive stockpile was overlooked and neglected. A increasing amount of visitors traveled to the coastal areas and calm waters for jetskiing, kite surfing and entertainment venues. Beneath the surface, the weapons deteriorated.

Some of us thought to see a desert, with no life because it was all toxic, explains Andrey Vedenin.

When the initial researchers went looking to see what they were affecting to the ecosystem, researchers anticipated finding a lifeless zone, with no organisms because it was all toxic, says Andrey Vedenin.

What they discovered surprised them. Vedenin remembers his scientists shouting with surprise when the underwater vehicle first transmitted footage. That moment was a memorable occasion, he says.

Countless of marine animals had made their homes on the munitions, forming a regenerated marine community denser than the seabed around it.

This ocean community was evidence to the persistence of marine life. Indeed surprising how much marine organisms we find in places that are supposed to be toxic and harmful, he states.

Over 40 starfish had gathered on to one exposed piece of explosive material. They were living on steel casings, detonator compartments and carrying containers just a short distance from its dangerous content. Fish, crabs, anemones and mussels were all observed on the discarded explosives. It resembles a coral reef in terms of the quantity of creatures that was present, notes Vedenin.

Unexpected Population Density

An average of more than 40,000 organisms were dwelling on every square metre of the weapons, experts documented in their research on the discovery. The nearby seabed was much sparser, with only 8,000 organisms on every meter squared.

It is surprising that objects that are meant to destroy everything are attracting so much life, explains Vedenin. You can see how the natural world evolves after a devastating occurrence such as the second world war and how, in certain respects, life establishes itself to the most dangerous locations.

Man-made Features as Marine Environments

Artificial constructions such as shipwrecks, wind turbines, drilling platforms and pipelines can create replacements, replacing some of the removed marine environment. This study reveals that munitions could be similarly beneficial – the bloom of marine organisms on those in the Bay of Lübeck is likely to be found in other locations.

Between 1946 and 1948, 1.6 million tonnes of arms were discarded off the German coast. Thousands of workers placed them in barges; a portion were placed in specific areas, others just discarded at sea during transport. This is the first time researchers have studied how ocean organisms has reacted.

Global Instances of Ocean Adaptation

• In the US, retired oil and gas structures have transformed into coral reefs
• Sunken ships from the first world war have become homes for wildlife along the Potomac in the state of Maryland
• Military vehicle parts that have become environment to reef-building organisms off Asan in the Pacific island

These areas become even more crucial for organisms as the oceans are increasingly stripped by commercial fishing, seafloor dredging and boat mooring. Sunken ships and munitions areas practically act as sanctuaries – they are not national parks, but nearly any kind of human activity is restricted, explains Vedenin. Therefore a numerous of marine species that are usually scarce or diminishing, such as the cod fish, are flourishing.

Coming Factors

Wherever armed conflict has happened in the past 100 years, adjacent waters are often containing munitions, states Vedenin. Millions of tons of volatile compounds rest in our seas.

The positions of these munitions are poorly mapped, partially because of sovereign limits, secret defense data and the reality that records are stored in old files. They create an explosion and safety danger, as well as danger from the ongoing emission of toxic chemicals.

As the German government and other countries embark on extracting these remains, experts plan to safeguard the marine communities that have developed nearby. In the Lübeck Bay explosives are presently being removed.

It would be wise to substitute these metal carcasses remaining from weapons with some less dangerous, some safe objects, like perhaps concrete structures, states Vedenin.

He now hopes that what occurs in Lübeck sets a example for replacing habitats after munitions removal in other locations – because including the most damaging armaments can become foundation for ocean ecosystems.