World War II Explosives, Torpedoes and Naval Mines: How Ocean Creatures Prosper on Abandoned Armaments

In the slightly salty sea off the Germany's shoreline sits a wasteland of World War II explosives, torpedoes and mines. Discarded from vessels at the end of the World War II and neglected, numerous explosives have accumulated over the years. They create a decaying blanket on the shallow, silty seafloor of the Lübeck Bay in the western tip of the Baltic Sea.

Over the years, the explosive stockpile was overlooked and neglected. A growing number of visitors flocked to the coastal areas and calm waters for water sports, kiteboarding and entertainment venues. Beneath the surface, the weapons eroded.

Researchers expected to see a barren area, with no life because it was all poisoned, explains Andrey Vedenin.

When the team went looking to see what they were doing to the ecosystem, researchers anticipated finding a lifeless zone, with nothing living there because it was all contaminated, says the lead researcher.

What they found surprised them. Vedenin recounts his colleagues shouting with surprise when the underwater vehicle first relayed pictures. This was a great moment, he says.

Numerous of sea creatures had settled on the explosives, developing a renewed marine community denser than the ocean bottom surrounding it.

This underwater metropolis was evidence to the resilience of marine life. It is actually surprising how much life we find in locations that are supposed to be hazardous and harmful, he explains.

In excess of 40 sea stars had clustered on to one visible chunk of explosive material. They were living on steel casings, ignition chambers and storage boxes just a short distance from its explosive filling. Marine fish, crabs, sea anemones and bivalves were all found on the discarded explosives. It resembles a marine reef in terms of the abundance of fauna that was there, says Vedenin.

Remarkable Creature Concentration

An average of more than forty thousand organisms were living on every meter squared of the munitions, scientists reported in their research on the discovery. The adjacent region was much sparser, with only eight thousand individuals on every meter squared.

It is surprising that things that are intended to kill everything are drawing so much marine organisms, says Vedenin. It's evident how nature adjusts after a catastrophic event such as the second world war and how, in some way, marine life finds its way to the most dangerous locations.

Man-made Structures as Ocean Habitats

Man-made constructions such as sunken vessels, wind turbines, oil rigs and pipelines can create substitutes, restoring some of the destroyed marine environment. This study demonstrates that explosives could be similarly beneficial – the bloom of marine organisms on those in the Lübeck Bay is probable to be duplicated elsewhere.

Between the late 1940s and 1948, 1.6 million tonnes of munitions were discarded off the Germany's shoreline. Countless of workers transported them in barges; some were dropped in allocated locations, the remainder just dumped en route. This is the first time researchers have recorded how marine life has reacted.

Global Examples of Marine Adaptation

• In the United States, retired oil and gas structures have transformed into marine habitats
• Shipwrecks from the first world war have become habitats for creatures along the Potomac River in the state of Maryland
• Tank tracks that have become home to reef-building organisms off Asan beach in the Pacific island

These places become even more crucial for wildlife as the marine environments are increasingly stripped by fishing, bottom trawling and anchoring. Shipwrecks and munitions areas practically serve as sanctuaries – they are not official reserves, but virtually any kind of anthropogenic disturbance is prohibited, says Vedenin. Therefore a lot of species that are otherwise rare or diminishing, such as the Baltic cod, are prospering.

Coming Considerations

Anywhere armed conflict has happened in the past 100 years, surrounding seas are typically strewn with munitions, says Vedenin. Many millions of tons of dangerous substances remain in our seas.

The locations of these munitions are inadequately recorded, partially because of international boundaries, classified armed forces records and the reality that documents are buried in historic archives. They pose an detonation and security risk, as well as threat from the continuous release of toxic chemicals.

As Germany and different states embark on removing these remains, researchers aim to protect the habitats that have established nearby. In the Bay of Lübeck explosives are already being removed.

Researchers recommend substitute these steel remains left from weapons with certain more secure, some safe structures, like perhaps concrete structures, suggests Vedenin.

He now aspires that what occurs in Lübeck sets a precedent for replacing material after weapon clearance in different areas – because also the most harmful weaponry can become foundation for new life.