World War II Explosives, Torpedoes and Naval Mines: The Way Ocean Creatures Flourishes on Abandoned Armaments

In the brackish waters off the Germany's coast rests a collection of World War II explosives, torpedoes and mines. Thrown off vessels at the conclusion of the second world war and neglected, countless weapons have accumulated over the years. They create a rusting layer on the shallow, muddy seafloor of the Lübeck Bay in the western tip of the Baltic Sea.

Over the decades, the explosive stockpile was ignored and neglected. A increasing amount of tourists came to the sandy beaches and calm waters for jetskiing, kite surfing and entertainment venues. Underwater, the munitions eroded.

Researchers expected to see a desert, with nothing living there because it was all toxic, explains the lead researcher.

When the initial researchers went investigating to see what they were doing to the ecosystem, some of us expected to see a barren area, with nothing living there because it was all toxic, says the lead researcher.

What they discovered amazed them. Vedenin recalls his scientists exclaiming in amazement when the submersible first transmitted footage. This was a memorable occasion, he notes.

Thousands of sea creatures had established habitats among the weapons, forming a renewed ecosystem richer than the sea floor nearby.

This marine city was evidence to the resilience of life. It is actually remarkable how much marine organisms we discover in areas that are supposed to be toxic and dangerous, he explains.

In excess of 40 starfish had gathered on to one visible piece of explosive material. They were living on metal shells, detonator compartments and carrying containers just a short distance from its volatile core. Fish, crustaceans, sea anemones and mussels were all found on the old munitions. You could compare it with a coral reef in terms of the abundance of animal life that was inhabiting the area, states Vedenin.

Surprising Population Density

An mean of more than 40,000 animals were residing on every square metre of the weapons, researchers documented in their paper on the discovery. The nearby seabed was much less diverse, with only 8,000 creatures on every meter squared.

It is ironic that items that are intended to eliminate all life are hosting so much marine organisms, explains Vedenin. It's evident 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 dangerous locations.

Artificial Structures as Ocean Environments

Man-made structures such as sunken vessels, wind turbines, oil rigs and pipelines can provide substitutes, compensating for some of the removed marine environment. This investigation reveals that weapons could be comparably beneficial – the proliferation of marine organisms on those in the Bay of Lübeck is probable to be duplicated in different areas.

Between 1946 and the post-war period, 1.6m tonnes of munitions were discarded off the German coast. Countless of individuals loaded them in barges; some were dropped in allocated locations, the remainder just dumped while traveling. This is the first time experts have recorded how ocean organisms has responded.

Global Instances of Ocean Adaptation

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

These areas become even more important for wildlife as the seas are increasingly denuded by fishing, seafloor dredging and boat mooring. Shipwrecks and weapons dump sites practically serve as protected areas – they are not official reserves, but almost any kind of human activity is banned, explains Vedenin. As a result a lot of species that are typically scarce or declining, such as the cod fish, are prospering.

Coming Considerations

Anywhere military conflict has happened in the past 100 years, surrounding seas are typically strewn with weapons, states Vedenin. Millions of tonnes of explosive material lie in our marine environments.

The locations of these explosives are inadequately mapped, in part because of national borders, classified armed forces records and the reality that records are buried in historic archives. They present an explosion and security risk, as well as threat from the ongoing release of hazardous substances.

As Germany and other countries begin clearing these remains, researchers aim to protect the marine communities that have developed nearby. In the Bay of Lübeck munitions are already being removed.

Researchers recommend substitute these metal carcasses originating from weapons with some safer, some safe structures, like perhaps artificial reefs, suggests Vedenin.

He presently hopes that what transpires in the Bay of Lübeck creates a example for substituting material after weapon clearance in other locations – because including the most damaging weaponry can become scaffolding for new life.