World War II Bombs, Torpedo Heads and Mines: The Way Ocean Creatures Thrives on Discarded Weapons

In the slightly salty waters off the Germany's coast lies a graveyard of World War II explosives, torpedo heads and naval mines. Discarded from vessels at the end of the second world war and left behind, thousands munitions have become matted together over the years. They create a decaying carpet on the shallow, muddy ocean floor of the Bay of Lübeck in the western part of the Baltic.

Over the decades, the wartime weapons was ignored and neglected. A increasing amount of tourists flocked to the sandy beaches and tranquil sea for jetskiing, kite surfing and amusement parks. Beneath the surface, the munitions deteriorated.

Researchers expected to see a desert, with no organisms because it was all poisoned, explains the lead researcher.

When the first scientists went looking to see what they were doing to the marine environment, the team expected to see a barren area, with no organisms because it was all poisoned, states a scientist.

What they discovered surprised them. Vedenin recounts his colleagues exclaiming in amazement when the ROV first transmitted footage. It was a memorable occasion, he recalls.

Thousands of sea creatures had settled on the weapons, creating a renewed ecosystem denser than the sea floor surrounding it.

This underwater metropolis was testament to the tenacity of life. Truly astonishing how much life we discover in locations that are expected to be dangerous and risky, he says.

More than 40 sea stars had piled on to one exposed chunk of TNT. They were living on iron containers, fuse pockets and transport cases just a short distance from its dangerous content. Marine fish, crustaceans, anemones and bivalves were all discovered on the discarded explosives. You could compare it with a coral reef in terms of the amount of fauna that was present, says Vedenin.

Unexpected Creature Concentration

An mean of more than forty thousand creatures were dwelling on every meter squared of the weapons, researchers documented in their research on the discovery. The surrounding area was much poorer in life, with only eight thousand creatures on every square metre.

It is surprising that things that are designed to destroy all life are hosting so much life, states Vedenin. One can observe how nature evolves after a major disaster such as the second world war and how, in certain respects, life returns to the most hazardous places.

Artificial Structures as Ocean Environments

Man-made constructions such as sunken vessels, offshore windfarms, drilling platforms and undersea pipes can provide substitutes, replacing some of the lost habitat. This research demonstrates that explosives could be similarly advantageous – the explosion of life on those in the Bay of Lübeck is likely to be repeated in other locations.

Between 1946 and 1948, 1.6 million tonnes of munitions were disposed of off the German coast. Countless of people placed them in barges; some were placed in designated areas, the remainder just discarded at sea while traveling. This is the first time experts have documented how marine life has adapted.

Worldwide Examples of Ocean Adaptation

• In the US, retired drilling platforms have become reef ecosystems
• Sunken ships from the first world war have become environments for creatures along the Potomac in Maryland
• Tank tracks that have become home to reef-building organisms off Asan beach in the Pacific island

These locations become even more crucial for organisms as the marine environments are increasingly denuded by fishing, seafloor dredging and boat mooring. Sunken ships and munitions areas practically act as refuges – they are not official reserves, but almost any kind of anthropogenic disturbance is restricted, says Vedenin. Consequently a numerous of organisms that are otherwise rare or diminishing, such as the Baltic cod, are prospering.

Coming Factors

Wherever armed conflict has taken place in the recent history, surrounding seas are typically containing weapons, explains Vedenin. Many millions of tonnes of explosive material rest in our oceans.

The locations of these weapons are insufficiently documented, partially because of international boundaries, secret armed forces records and the fact that records are stored in historical records. They present an explosion and safety danger, as well as danger from the ongoing leakage of poisonous compounds.

As Germany and additional nations start clearing these remains, experts hope to safeguard the habitats that have formed in their vicinity. In the Bay of Lübeck weapons are presently being removed.

We should replace these metal carcasses remaining from weapons with certain more secure, some safe structures, like perhaps concrete structures, suggests Vedenin.

He currently hopes that what transpires in Lübeck creates a model for replacing material after weapon clearance elsewhere – because also the most harmful armaments can become scaffolding for marine organisms.