Nazi Explosives, Torpedoes and Mines: The Way Ocean Creatures Thrives on Dumped Weapons

In the brackish sea off the Germany's coast lies a wasteland of Nazi bombs, torpedoes and mines. Discarded from vessels at the end of the World War II and forgotten about, numerous explosives have fused into clusters over the decades. They comprise a decaying layer on the shallow, silty ocean floor of the Lübeck Bay in the western tip of the Baltic Sea.

Over the years, the wartime weapons was ignored and forgotten about. A increasing amount of tourists flocked to the coastal areas and calm waters for water sports, kite surfing and amusement parks. Beneath the surface, the munitions deteriorated.

We initially anticipated to see a barren area, with no organisms because it was all poisoned, says the lead researcher.

When the initial researchers went searching to see what they were affecting to the marine environment, some of us anticipated finding a barren area, with no organisms because it was all contaminated, says the lead researcher.

What they found surprised them. Vedenin recounts his scientists shouting with surprise when the ROV first transmitted footage. That moment was a remarkable experience, he says.

Countless of sea creatures had made their homes on the munitions, creating a revitalized marine community denser than the seabed nearby.

This ocean community was testament to the resilience of marine life. Truly remarkable how much life we find in locations that are considered toxic and risky, he states.

In excess of 40 starfish had gathered on to one exposed chunk of TNT. They were dwelling on iron containers, ignition chambers and storage boxes just centimetres from its dangerous content. Fish, crustaceans, anemones and bivalves were all discovered on the historic weapons. You could compare it with a marine reef in terms of the abundance of animal life that was inhabiting the area, notes Vedenin.

Unexpected Creature Concentration

An average of more than 40,000 creatures were dwelling on every meter squared of the weapons, experts wrote in their paper on the finding. The adjacent region was much sparser, with only eight thousand individuals on every meter squared.

It is surprising that objects that are meant to destroy all life are drawing so much marine organisms, states Vedenin. It's evident how the natural world adjusts after a major disaster such as the World War II and how, in some way, life returns to the most dangerous areas.

Artificial Structures as Marine Environments

Man-made features such as sunken vessels, offshore windfarms, drilling platforms and pipelines can provide alternatives, compensating for some of the destroyed marine environment. This investigation reveals that explosives could be similarly advantageous – the explosion of life on those in the Bay of Lübeck is likely to be found in other locations.

Between 1946 and the post-war period, 1.6 million tons of munitions were dumped off the German coast. Countless of workers placed them in vessels; a portion were dropped in specific sites, the remainder just dumped while traveling. This is the first time researchers have recorded how ocean organisms has reacted.

Global Examples of Marine Transformation

• In the United States, decommissioned energy installations have transformed into coral reefs
• Submerged vessels from the first world war have become environments for wildlife along the Potomac River in Maryland
• Tank tracks that have become environment to reef-building organisms off Asan in the Pacific island

These locations become even more important for marine life as the seas are increasingly denuded by commercial fishing, seafloor dredging and anchoring. Sunken ships and weapons dump sites effectively act as refuges – they are not official reserves, but nearly any kind of human activity is prohibited, explains Vedenin. As a result a lot of marine species that are typically uncommon or diminishing, such as the Baltic cod, are prospering.

Coming Considerations

Anywhere warfare has happened in the past 100 years, nearby oceans are often strewn with weapons, says Vedenin. Many millions of tonnes of volatile compounds rest in our oceans.

The positions of these explosives are poorly recorded, partly because of sovereign limits, restricted military information and the situation that archives are hidden in old files. They pose an detonation and safety hazard, as well as danger from the ongoing emission of poisonous compounds.

As Germany and additional nations start removing these remains, researchers plan to safeguard the marine communities that have formed nearby. In the Lübeck Bay explosives are already being cleared.

We should replace these steel remains remaining from munitions with some less dangerous, various safe structures, like maybe man-made habitats, states Vedenin.

He now wishes that what occurs in Lübeck establishes a precedent for substituting material after munitions removal in other locations – because also the most harmful armaments can become framework for ocean ecosystems.