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

In the brackish waters off the Germany's coast rests a collection of World War II explosives, torpedoes and naval mines. Dumped from barges at the end of the second world war and neglected, numerous explosives have become matted together over the decades. They form a decaying layer on the low-depth, silty seafloor of the Lübeck Bay in the western tip of the Baltic.

Over the years, the wartime weapons was ignored and forgotten about. A growing number of visitors came to the sandy beaches and calm waters for water sports, kite surfing and entertainment venues. Underwater, the munitions decayed.

Researchers thought to see a barren area, with no organisms because it was all poisoned, states a scientist.

When the team went searching to see what they were affecting to the marine environment, the team anticipated finding a desert, with no organisms because it was all poisoned, explains the lead researcher.

What they discovered astonished them. Vedenin recounts his scientists exclaiming in amazement when the submersible first sent the images back. It was a remarkable experience, he says.

Countless of marine animals had established habitats amid the munitions, creating a revitalized habitat more populous than the ocean bottom surrounding it.

This underwater metropolis was evidence to the persistence of marine life. It is actually astonishing how much marine organisms we discover in places that are expected to be hazardous and harmful, he explains.

Over 40 sea stars had piled on to one accessible chunk of explosive material. They were residing on iron containers, ignition chambers and transport cases just a short distance from its volatile core. Fish, crustaceans, sea anemones and mussels were all found on the historic weapons. You could compare it with a reef ecosystem in terms of the abundance of creatures that was present, notes Vedenin.

Remarkable Population Density

An average of more than 40,000 organisms were dwelling on every square metre of the weapons, scientists reported in their study on the observation. The surrounding area was much sparser, with only 8,000 organisms on every square metre.

It is paradoxical that things that are meant to eliminate all life are hosting so much life, states Vedenin. One can observe how the natural world evolves after a major disaster such as the second world war and how, in certain respects, marine life finds its way to the most dangerous places.

Artificial Features as Marine Environments

Artificial structures such as shipwrecks, wind turbines, oil rigs and undersea pipes can create alternatives, compensating for some of the destroyed habitat. This investigation reveals that weapons could be equally beneficial – the bloom of life on those in the Lübeck Bay is probable to be duplicated elsewhere.

Between 1946 and 1948, 1.6m tons of munitions were discarded off the German coast. Thousands of individuals loaded them in boats; a portion were dropped in designated locations, the remainder just dumped while traveling. This is the first time experts have recorded how marine life has responded.

Worldwide Examples of Marine Transformation

• In the US, decommissioned oil and gas structures have turned into marine habitats
• Shipwrecks from the World War I have become environments for marine life along the Potomac River in Maryland
• Tank tracks that have become home to coral off Asan beach in Guam

These places become even more valuable for wildlife as the seas are increasingly denuded by commercial fishing, seafloor dredging and anchoring. Sunken ships and munitions areas effectively serve as sanctuaries – they are not national parks, but almost any kind of anthropogenic disturbance is restricted, explains Vedenin. Consequently a numerous of organisms that are otherwise rare or declining, such as the cod fish, are prospering.

Future Considerations

Anywhere armed conflict has occurred in the recent history, nearby oceans are typically littered with munitions, says Vedenin. Millions of tons of dangerous substances remain in our seas.

The locations of these munitions are poorly mapped, partly because of sovereign limits, secret defense data and the reality that archives are stored in historic archives. They pose an detonation and security danger, as well as risk from the continuous release of poisonous compounds.

As the German government and other countries begin removing these remains, scientists aim to safeguard the marine communities that have formed around them. In the Bay of Lübeck explosives are currently being removed.

It would be wise to replace these steel remains remaining from munitions with certain more secure, some non-dangerous materials, like possibly man-made habitats, suggests Vedenin.

He currently aspires that what happens in Lübeck establishes a precedent for replacing habitats after munitions removal in different areas – because also the most destructive explosives can become framework for new life.