World War II Munitions, Torpedoes and Naval Mines: The Way Ocean Creatures Thrives on Abandoned Weapons

In the slightly salty waters off the Germany's shoreline rests a collection of World War II explosives, torpedo heads and naval mines. Thrown off vessels at the conclusion of the second world war and left behind, countless explosives have accumulated over the decades. They comprise a corroding layer on the low-depth, silty ocean floor of the Lübeck Bay in the western tip of the Baltic.

Over the years, the wartime weapons was ignored and forgotten about. A increasing amount of tourists traveled to the sandy beaches and tranquil sea for water sports, kite surfing and amusement parks. Beneath the surface, the weapons decayed.

Some of us expected to see a barren area, with no life because it was all toxic, says a scientist.

When the initial researchers went searching to see what they were affecting to the ecosystem, researchers expected to see a barren area, with no life because it was all toxic, explains the lead researcher.

What they discovered astonished them. Vedenin recounts his team members shouting with surprise when the underwater vehicle first sent the images back. It was a memorable occasion, he notes.

Thousands of ocean life had established habitats among the explosives, forming a revitalized habitat richer than the ocean bottom surrounding it.

This underwater metropolis was testament to the persistence of life. Indeed remarkable how much marine organisms we observe in areas that are supposed to be toxic and harmful, he says.

In excess of 40 starfish had piled on to one exposed chunk of explosive material. They were dwelling on metal shells, ignition chambers and carrying containers just a short distance from its volatile core. Marine fish, crustaceans, sea anemones and mussels were all discovered on the historic weapons. It resembles a marine reef in terms of the quantity of fauna that was present, says Vedenin.

Remarkable Creature Concentration

An average of more than forty thousand creatures were living on every meter squared of the munitions, researchers documented in their paper on the finding. The surrounding area was much sparser, with only 8,000 creatures on every square metre.

It is surprising that objects that are designed to destroy all life are attracting so much life, says Vedenin. It's evident how nature adapts after a devastating occurrence such as the World War II and how, in some way, marine life returns to the most risky places.

Artificial Features as Marine Habitats

Man-made constructions such as shipwrecks, offshore windfarms, drilling platforms and pipelines can provide alternatives, compensating for some of the destroyed habitat. This study reveals that munitions could be similarly positive – the explosion of life on those in the Lübeck Bay is likely to be found in other locations.

Between the late 1940s and the post-war period, 1.6 million tons of arms were discarded off the Germany's coast. Numerous of people transported them in boats; some were placed in allocated sites, the remainder just discarded at sea while traveling. This is the first time researchers have recorded how ocean organisms has responded.

Global Instances of Ocean Transformation

• In the United States, retired energy installations have transformed into reef ecosystems
• Submerged vessels from the first world war have become habitats for creatures 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 marine life as the marine environments are increasingly denuded by fishing, bottom trawling and boat mooring. Sunken ships and munitions areas essentially function as refuges – they are not national parks, but almost any kind of human activity is restricted, explains Vedenin. Therefore a lot of species that are otherwise scarce or decreasing, such as the Baltic cod, are prospering.

Coming Issues

Wherever armed conflict has occurred in the past 100 years, adjacent waters are usually littered with munitions, explains Vedenin. Millions of tons of dangerous substances lie in our seas.

The positions of these explosives are insufficiently recorded, partly because of sovereign limits, restricted military information and the fact that archives are buried in old files. They present an explosion and security risk, as well as threat from the continuous emission of hazardous substances.

As the German government and additional nations start extracting these relics, researchers plan to protect the marine communities that have formed nearby. In the Lübeck Bay weapons are currently being cleared.

It would be wise to replace these iron structures originating from weapons with some more secure, various safe objects, like possibly concrete structures, suggests Vedenin.

He presently hopes that what transpires in the Bay of Lübeck sets a example for replacing structures after weapon clearance elsewhere – because also the most harmful explosives can become framework for new life.