Nazi Explosives, Torpedoes and Mines: How Marine Life Flourishes on Abandoned Weapons

In the brackish waters off the Germany's shoreline lies a wasteland of World War II explosives, torpedo heads and mines. Dumped from vessels at the conclusion of the second world war and forgotten about, numerous weapons have become matted together over the years. They comprise a corroding layer on the shallow, muddy seafloor of the Lübeck Bay in the western part of the Baltic.

Over the decades, the Nazi arsenal was ignored and forgotten about. A growing number of visitors flocked to the sandy beaches and calm waters for jetskiing, kiteboarding and entertainment venues. Underwater, the weapons eroded.

Some of us anticipated to see a desert, with nothing living there because it was all contaminated, explains a scientist.

When the initial researchers went looking to see what they were doing to the ecosystem, the team thought they would find a barren area, with no organisms because it was all poisoned, says a scientist.

What they discovered surprised them. Vedenin remembers his team members exclaiming in amazement when the ROV first relayed pictures. That moment was a remarkable experience, he notes.

Countless of ocean life had settled among the explosives, developing a revitalized habitat more populous than the sea floor around it.

This marine city was evidence to the resilience of life. It is actually surprising how much life we discover in areas that are expected to be hazardous and dangerous, he explains.

More than 40 sea stars had gathered on to one visible fragment of TNT. They were dwelling on metal shells, detonator compartments and transport cases just centimetres from its explosive filling. Marine fish, crustaceans, sea anemones and mussels were all observed on the historic weapons. You could compare it with a coral reef in terms of the amount of creatures that was inhabiting the area, notes Vedenin.

Unexpected Population Density

An average of more than forty thousand animals were residing on every meter squared of the munitions, experts wrote in their research on the observation. The adjacent region was much poorer in life, with only 8,000 creatures on every meter squared.

It is ironic that objects that are designed to kill everything are attracting so much marine organisms, says Vedenin. You can see how the natural world adapts after a devastating occurrence such as the World War II and how, in certain respects, life finds its way to the most dangerous locations.

Artificial Structures as Marine Environments

Artificial features such as sunken vessels, wind turbines, drilling platforms and pipelines can create replacements, compensating for some of the removed marine environment. This investigation shows that explosives could be similarly beneficial – the bloom of life on those in the Bay of Lübeck is likely to be found in other locations.

Between 1946 and the post-war period, 1.6m tonnes of munitions were discarded off the Germany's shoreline. Numerous of workers transported them in boats; some were placed in specific sites, the remainder just dumped while traveling. This is the initial instance scientists have recorded how ocean organisms has reacted.

Global Examples of Ocean Adaptation

• In the United States, decommissioned energy installations have become marine habitats
• Submerged vessels from the first world war have become environments for creatures 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 organisms as the seas are increasingly depleted by commercial fishing, bottom trawling and boat mooring. Shipwrecks and weapons dump sites practically act as protected areas – they are not national parks, but virtually any kind of human activity is restricted, says Vedenin. Consequently a numerous of organisms that are otherwise rare or declining, such as the cod fish, are flourishing.

Coming Issues

Anywhere armed conflict has happened in the recent history, nearby oceans are usually littered with munitions, says Vedenin. Millions of tonnes of dangerous substances remain in our oceans.

The positions of these explosives are poorly recorded, partly because of national borders, restricted defense data and the fact that records are stored in old files. They present an explosion and security hazard, as well as danger from the ongoing emission of poisonous compounds.

As Germany and other countries start extracting these relics, researchers hope to protect the marine communities that have established nearby. In the Lübeck Bay munitions are already being cleared.

It would be wise to replace these iron structures remaining from weapons with certain more secure, some non-dangerous materials, like perhaps concrete structures, suggests Vedenin.

He currently aspires that what transpires in Lübeck sets a precedent for replacing habitats after weapon clearance elsewhere – because including the most destructive weaponry can become foundation for new life.