World War II Munitions, Torpedoes and Naval Mines: How Marine Life Flourishes on Discarded Armaments

In the slightly salty waters off the German shoreline lies a wasteland of World War II explosives, torpedo heads and mines. Thrown off barges at the end of the World War II and forgotten about, countless munitions have accumulated over the years. They create a decaying layer on the shallow, silty seafloor of the Bay of Lübeck in the western part of the Baltic.

Over the years, the Nazi arsenal was ignored and neglected. A increasing amount of visitors came to the coastal areas and tranquil sea for jetskiing, kiteboarding and amusement parks. Beneath the surface, the weapons eroded.

Researchers anticipated to see a desert, with no life because it was all poisoned, says Andrey Vedenin.

When the team went searching to see what they were affecting to the marine environment, some of us anticipated finding a desert, with no life because it was all toxic, states a scientist.

What they discovered astonished them. Vedenin recounts his scientists shouting with surprise when the submersible first sent the images back. It was a remarkable experience, he notes.

Thousands of marine animals had established habitats among the weapons, creating a regenerated habitat denser than the seabed surrounding it.

This underwater metropolis was testament to the resilience of marine life. It is actually astonishing how much life we observe in areas that are supposed to be toxic and dangerous, he explains.

In excess of 40 sea stars had gathered on to one exposed fragment of explosive material. They were dwelling on metal shells, fuse pockets and transport cases just a short distance from its explosive filling. Marine fish, crabs, anemones and bivalves were all observed on the historic weapons. You could compare it with a marine reef in terms of the quantity of creatures that was present, notes Vedenin.

Unexpected Population Density

An mean of more than forty thousand animals were dwelling on every square metre of the weapons, scientists reported in their study on the observation. The surrounding area was much less diverse, with only eight thousand individuals on every meter squared.

It is paradoxical that objects that are designed to eliminate all life are drawing so much marine organisms, states Vedenin. It's evident how the natural world adapts after a devastating occurrence such as the World War II and how, in certain respects, marine life establishes itself to the most dangerous places.

Artificial Structures as Marine Environments

Artificial features such as sunken vessels, wind turbines, drilling platforms and undersea pipes can create replacements, restoring some of the lost habitat. This investigation shows that munitions could be similarly beneficial – the bloom of life on those in the Lübeck Bay is expected to be found in other locations.

Between the late 1940s and the post-war period, 1.6 million tonnes of arms were discarded off the Germany's coast. Thousands of people placed them in vessels; some were placed in allocated areas, others just thrown overboard during transport. This is the initial instance scientists have recorded how marine life has responded.

Worldwide Examples of Ocean Transformation

• In the United States, decommissioned drilling platforms have turned into reef ecosystems
• Shipwrecks from the first world war have become environments for wildlife along the Potomac River in Maryland
• Tank tracks that have become home to coral off Asan in the Pacific island

These places become even more valuable for marine life as the seas are increasingly denuded by commercial fishing, seafloor dredging and boat mooring. Sunken ships and weapons dump sites effectively serve as refuges – they are not national parks, but almost any kind of anthropogenic disturbance is restricted, says Vedenin. Consequently a numerous of organisms that are otherwise scarce or diminishing, such as the cod fish, are prospering.

Coming Issues

Anywhere warfare has occurred in the recent history, surrounding seas are typically strewn with munitions, states Vedenin. Many millions of tonnes of volatile compounds remain in our seas.

The positions of these munitions are poorly documented, in part because of international boundaries, secret defense data and the situation that documents are hidden in old files. They present an explosion and safety hazard, as well as threat from the persistent release of toxic chemicals.

As Germany and additional nations start removing these artifacts, scientists plan to preserve the ecosystems that have developed nearby. In the Lübeck Bay weapons are presently being extracted.

Researchers recommend substitute these steel remains originating from weapons with certain safer, various non-dangerous objects, like possibly man-made habitats, states Vedenin.

He presently aspires that what transpires in Lübeck sets a precedent for substituting structures after explosive extraction in different areas – because also the most destructive armaments can become foundation for new life.