Nazi Munitions, Torpedo Heads and Naval Mines: How Marine Life Thrives on Discarded Weapons

In the slightly salty sea off the Germany's shoreline rests a wasteland of Nazi bombs, torpedoes and naval mines. Discarded from boats at the end of the second world war and neglected, thousands explosives have accumulated over the decades. They comprise a decaying carpet on the shallow, silty ocean floor of the Bay of Lübeck in the western tip of the Baltic Sea.

Over the decades, the wartime weapons was ignored and neglected. A growing number of visitors flocked to the sandy beaches and calm waters for water sports, kiteboarding and amusement parks. Below the waves, the munitions decayed.

Researchers anticipated to see a lifeless zone, with no life 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 expected to see a barren area, with nothing living there because it was all toxic, explains Andrey Vedenin.

What they observed surprised them. Vedenin remembers his scientists reacting with shock when the submersible first relayed pictures. This was a great moment, he recalls.

Thousands of sea creatures had settled among the explosives, developing a regenerated habitat more populous than the seabed around it.

This ocean community was testament to the tenacity of life. Indeed astonishing how much life we discover in places that are considered hazardous and risky, he explains.

More than 40 starfish had gathered on to one accessible fragment of explosive material. They were dwelling on steel casings, detonator compartments and transport cases just centimetres from its explosive filling. Marine fish, crustaceans, sea anemones and mussels were all found on the discarded explosives. It resembles a coral reef in terms of the abundance of animal life that was inhabiting the area, states Vedenin.

Remarkable Creature Concentration

An average of more than 40,000 organisms were living on every square metre of the munitions, scientists reported in their study on the observation. The surrounding area was much sparser, with only 8,000 organisms on every meter squared.

It is surprising that things that are intended to destroy all life are drawing so much marine organisms, explains Vedenin. It's evident how the natural world evolves after a major disaster such as the World War II and how, in some way, marine life returns to the most risky locations.

Artificial Features as Marine Environments

Artificial features such as sunken vessels, offshore windfarms, drilling platforms and pipelines can create substitutes, compensating for some of the removed habitat. This study reveals that explosives could be comparably advantageous – the proliferation of life on those in the Bay of Lübeck is probable to be found in different areas.

Between 1946 and the post-war period, 1.6 million tonnes of weapons were disposed of off the German shoreline. Numerous of individuals transported them in boats; a portion were placed in designated sites, others just thrown overboard en route. This is the first time scientists have studied how marine life has responded.

Worldwide Examples of Ocean Adaptation

• In the United States, retired energy installations have transformed into coral reefs
• Sunken ships from the first world war have become homes for creatures along the Potomac in Maryland
• Military vehicle parts that have become environment to coral off Asan in Guam

These places become even more crucial for organisms as the oceans are increasingly depleted by fishing, seafloor dredging and anchoring. Shipwrecks and munitions areas practically function as sanctuaries – they are not official reserves, but virtually any kind of human activity is restricted, states Vedenin. Therefore a many of species that are typically uncommon or diminishing, such as the cod fish, are thriving.

Coming Considerations

Wherever military conflict has taken place in the recent history, adjacent waters are typically strewn with weapons, explains Vedenin. Millions of tonnes of dangerous substances remain in our oceans.

The positions of these weapons are inadequately documented, partly because of national borders, secret military information and the fact that records are buried in old files. They create an detonation and safety hazard, as well as risk from the ongoing emission of poisonous compounds.

As Germany and different states start removing these relics, researchers hope to protect the ecosystems that have developed nearby. In the Bay of Lübeck munitions are already being cleared.

It would be wise to replace these steel remains originating from munitions with certain less dangerous, some non-dangerous structures, like possibly artificial reefs, suggests Vedenin.

He presently wishes that what transpires in the Bay of Lübeck establishes a precedent for replacing structures after weapon clearance in different areas – because even the most damaging weaponry can become framework for ocean ecosystems.