World War II Explosives, Torpedo Heads and Mines: The Way Marine Life Thrives on Discarded Weapons

In the brackish waters off the German shoreline lies a wasteland of World War II explosives, torpedo heads and naval mines. Dumped from barges at the end of the second world war and forgotten about, numerous weapons have fused into clusters over the years. They comprise a rusting layer on the shallow, silty seafloor of the Bay of Lübeck in the western part of the Baltic.

Over the decades, the wartime weapons was overlooked and forgotten about. A increasing amount of visitors traveled to the sandy beaches and calm waters for water sports, kiteboarding and entertainment venues. Below the waves, the munitions deteriorated.

We initially anticipated to see a lifeless zone, with nothing living there because it was all toxic, explains Andrey Vedenin.

When the team went investigating to see what they were doing to the ecosystem, researchers anticipated finding a barren area, with no organisms because it was all toxic, explains the lead researcher.

What they observed amazed them. Vedenin recalls his colleagues shouting with surprise when the ROV first sent the images back. That moment was a remarkable experience, he notes.

Numerous of marine animals had made their homes amid the weapons, developing a regenerated ecosystem richer than the sea floor around it.

This ocean community was evidence to the resilience of life. Truly remarkable how much marine organisms we discover in areas that are considered hazardous and harmful, he explains.

In excess of 40 starfish had gathered on to one exposed fragment of TNT. They were residing on metal shells, fuse pockets and carrying containers just centimetres from its explosive filling. Fish, crabs, anemones and bivalves were all observed on the old munitions. It resembles a coral reef in terms of the amount of fauna that was inhabiting the area, says Vedenin.

Unexpected Creature Concentration

An average of more than 40,000 organisms were dwelling on every square metre of the explosives, researchers wrote in their paper on the finding. The adjacent region was much less diverse, with only eight thousand organisms on every meter squared.

It is paradoxical that things that are intended to eliminate all life are drawing so much marine organisms, states Vedenin. You can see how nature adjusts after a catastrophic event such as the second world war and how, in certain respects, marine life finds its way to the most dangerous places.

Man-made Structures as Ocean Environments

Artificial constructions such as shipwrecks, wind turbines, oil rigs and undersea pipes can create alternatives, replacing some of the removed marine environment. This study reveals that weapons could be similarly positive – the proliferation of marine organisms on those in the Bay of Lübeck is expected to be found in different areas.

Between the late 1940s and 1948, 1.6 million tons of arms were dumped off the Germany's shoreline. Countless of workers loaded them in barges; some were placed in allocated locations, others just dumped during transport. This is the first time scientists have documented how ocean organisms has responded.

Worldwide Instances of Marine Adaptation

• In the US, decommissioned oil and gas structures have turned into coral reefs
• Shipwrecks from the World War I have become homes for wildlife along the Potomac in the state of Maryland
• Military vehicle parts that have become home to reef-building organisms off Asan beach in Guam

These areas become even more valuable for wildlife as the marine environments are increasingly denuded by commercial fishing, seafloor dredging and anchoring. Shipwrecks and munitions areas essentially serve as refuges – they are not official reserves, but virtually any kind of human activity is prohibited, says Vedenin. Therefore a numerous of species that are usually rare or decreasing, such as the Baltic cod, are thriving.

Future Factors

Anywhere armed conflict has happened in the last century, nearby oceans are often littered with explosives, states Vedenin. Many millions of tonnes of dangerous substances remain in our seas.

The sites of these weapons are inadequately recorded, partly because of national borders, secret military information and the situation that documents are buried in historic archives. They create an detonation and security danger, as well as threat from the persistent release of hazardous substances.

As the German government and other countries embark on extracting these artifacts, experts plan to safeguard the habitats that have formed around them. In the Bay of Lübeck weapons are presently being cleared.

Researchers recommend replace these steel remains remaining from munitions with some more secure, some non-dangerous structures, like maybe artificial reefs, states Vedenin.

He presently aspires that what transpires in the Bay of Lübeck sets a precedent for substituting material after weapon clearance elsewhere – because even the most damaging explosives can become scaffolding for marine organisms.