World War II Explosives, Torpedoes and Naval Mines: How Ocean Creatures Thrives on Dumped Weapons

In the slightly salty sea off the Germany's shoreline lies a graveyard of Nazi bombs, torpedoes and mines. Thrown off barges at the conclusion of the World War II and neglected, numerous explosives have accumulated over the years. They form a rusting carpet on the low-depth, muddy seafloor of the Lübeck Bay in the western tip of the Baltic Sea.

Over the years, the wartime weapons was overlooked and neglected. A growing number of tourists flocked to the sandy beaches and tranquil sea for jetskiing, kite surfing and entertainment venues. Beneath the surface, the munitions decayed.

Some of us thought to see a desert, with nothing living there because it was all contaminated, explains the lead researcher.

When the first scientists went searching to see what they were doing to the ecosystem, researchers anticipated finding a barren area, with no life because it was all toxic, states a scientist.

What they discovered amazed them. Vedenin recalls his scientists exclaiming in amazement when the underwater vehicle first relayed pictures. It was a memorable occasion, he recalls.

Numerous of ocean life had established habitats on the munitions, developing a regenerated habitat more populous than the sea floor surrounding it.

This marine city was testament to the resilience of life. It is actually surprising how much life we observe in places that are supposed to be toxic and harmful, he states.

Over 40 sea stars had clustered on to one visible fragment of TNT. They were dwelling on iron containers, ignition chambers and storage boxes just a short distance from its dangerous content. Marine fish, crabs, sea anemones and bivalves were all observed on the discarded explosives. It resembles a marine reef in terms of the amount of animal life that was present, says Vedenin.

Remarkable Population Density

An mean of more than forty thousand creatures were dwelling on every meter squared of the weapons, researchers documented in their study on the finding. The nearby seabed was much less diverse, with only eight thousand creatures on every meter squared.

It is ironic that items that are designed to destroy everything are drawing so much life, explains Vedenin. One can observe how nature adapts after a major disaster such as the World War II and how, in certain respects, marine life returns to the most hazardous areas.

Artificial Features as Ocean Environments

Artificial structures such as shipwrecks, wind turbines, drilling platforms and undersea pipes can offer substitutes, replacing some of the removed habitat. This investigation reveals that explosives could be comparably positive – the explosion of marine organisms on those in the Bay of Lübeck is likely to be duplicated in different areas.

Between 1946 and 1948, 1.6 million tonnes of weapons were disposed of off the German shoreline. Numerous of individuals placed them in barges; a portion were deposited in designated areas, others just discarded at sea during transport. This is the first time experts have documented how ocean organisms has adapted.

Worldwide Examples of Ocean Adaptation

• In the United States, retired drilling platforms have turned into reef ecosystems
• Shipwrecks from the World War I have become homes for marine life along the Potomac in Maryland
• Military vehicle parts that have become environment to reef-building organisms off Asan beach in Guam

These places become even more valuable for marine life as the marine environments are increasingly denuded by fishing, bottom trawling and boat mooring. Sunken ships and munitions areas essentially act as sanctuaries – they are not national parks, but virtually any kind of anthropogenic disturbance is prohibited, explains Vedenin. As a result a numerous of organisms that are typically scarce or diminishing, such as the Baltic cod, are thriving.

Coming Considerations

Wherever armed conflict has happened in the recent history, surrounding seas are often littered with munitions, says Vedenin. Millions of tons of explosive material lie in our marine environments.

The positions of these weapons are poorly mapped, in part because of international boundaries, restricted armed forces records and the fact that archives are buried in historic archives. They create an explosion and security risk, as well as risk from the ongoing release of poisonous compounds.

As the German government and different states embark on clearing these relics, scientists plan to preserve the ecosystems that have formed in their vicinity. In the Bay of Lübeck weapons are currently being extracted.

It would be wise to replace these steel remains left from weapons with some less dangerous, various safe materials, like possibly man-made habitats, suggests Vedenin.

He currently wishes that what transpires in the Bay of Lübeck sets a precedent for replacing material after explosive extraction in different areas – because including the most harmful armaments can become framework for ocean ecosystems.