World War II Explosives, Torpedo Heads and Naval Mines: How Ocean Creatures Prosper on Dumped Weapons

In the slightly salty sea off the Germany's shoreline sits a graveyard of World War II explosives, torpedo heads and naval mines. Discarded from boats at the end of the second world war and left behind, numerous munitions have become matted together over the decades. They comprise a rusting blanket on the shallow, silty seafloor of the Bay of Lübeck in the western tip of the Baltic Sea.

Over the years, the explosive stockpile was ignored and neglected. A increasing amount of visitors flocked to the sandy beaches and tranquil sea for jetskiing, kite surfing and entertainment venues. Below the waves, the weapons eroded.

Researchers thought to see a desert, with no organisms because it was all poisoned, states Andrey Vedenin.

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

What they found astonished them. Vedenin recalls his colleagues exclaiming in amazement when the underwater vehicle first relayed pictures. It was a memorable occasion, he recalls.

Thousands of ocean life had settled on the munitions, creating a regenerated ecosystem richer than the seabed around it.

This ocean community was evidence to the tenacity of marine life. Truly astonishing how much marine organisms we discover in places that are considered dangerous and risky, he explains.

Over 40 sea stars had piled on to one accessible piece of TNT. They were residing on iron containers, ignition chambers and storage boxes just a short distance from its volatile core. Marine fish, crustaceans, anemones and bivalves were all discovered on the historic weapons. You could compare it with a coral reef in terms of the amount of creatures that was present, states Vedenin.

Remarkable Population Density

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

It is surprising that items that are meant to destroy everything are drawing so much life, explains Vedenin. It's evident how nature evolves after a major disaster such as the second world war and how, in certain respects, life finds its way to the most hazardous places.

Man-made Features as Marine Environments

Man-made constructions such as shipwrecks, wind turbines, oil rigs and undersea pipes can provide substitutes, replacing some of the destroyed habitat. This investigation reveals that explosives could be equally advantageous – the explosion of marine organisms on those in the Lübeck Bay is probable to be found in other locations.

Between the late 1940s and the post-war period, 1.6 million tons of munitions were disposed of off the Germany's coast. Numerous of workers loaded them in vessels; a portion were deposited in specific sites, others just dumped while traveling. This is the initial instance scientists have documented how marine life has adapted.

Global Instances of Marine Transformation

• In the United States, decommissioned oil and gas structures have transformed into coral reefs
• Submerged vessels from the first world war have become habitats for creatures along the Potomac in the state of Maryland
• Tank tracks that have become environment to reef-building organisms off Asan in the Pacific island

These areas become even more valuable for organisms as the seas are increasingly depleted by fishing, seafloor dredging and boat mooring. Shipwrecks and munitions areas essentially act as sanctuaries – they are not national parks, but virtually any kind of human activity is prohibited, states Vedenin. Therefore a lot of species that are usually uncommon or diminishing, such as the cod fish, are thriving.

Future Factors

Anywhere military conflict has occurred in the past 100 years, surrounding seas are usually containing munitions, states Vedenin. Millions of tonnes of explosive material lie in our marine environments.

The positions of these explosives are poorly mapped, in part because of sovereign limits, secret defense data and the situation that archives are buried in historical records. They create an explosion and safety danger, as well as danger from the persistent release of poisonous compounds.

As Germany and other countries embark on extracting these relics, experts plan to safeguard the habitats that have established nearby. In the Lübeck Bay munitions are currently being removed.

We should replace these steel remains remaining from weapons with some less dangerous, some harmless objects, like possibly concrete structures, states Vedenin.

He presently wishes that what happens in Lübeck establishes a precedent for substituting material after munitions removal in different areas – because even the most destructive weaponry can become foundation for new life.