Nazi Bombs, Torpedoes and Mines: The Way Marine Life Thrives on Dumped Weapons

In the brackish waters off the German shoreline sits a graveyard of World War II explosives, torpedo heads and naval mines. Discarded from vessels at the end of the World War II and left behind, numerous weapons have accumulated over the years. They form a corroding layer on the shallow, muddy ocean floor of the Bay of Lübeck in the western tip of the Baltic Sea.

Over the decades, the wartime weapons was ignored and forgotten about. A increasing amount of visitors flocked to the coastal areas and calm waters for jetskiing, kite surfing and entertainment venues. Below the waves, the munitions deteriorated.

Some of us expected to see a barren area, with no life because it was all poisoned, says a scientist.

When the initial researchers went looking to see what they were doing to the marine environment, some of us expected to see a desert, with no organisms because it was all toxic, explains the lead researcher.

What they found amazed them. Vedenin recalls his colleagues exclaiming in amazement when the ROV first transmitted footage. This was a remarkable experience, he notes.

Numerous of marine animals had made their homes amid the weapons, forming a regenerated ecosystem denser than the ocean bottom surrounding it.

This ocean community was testament to the persistence of life. It is actually surprising how much life we observe in areas that are considered toxic and harmful, he explains.

More than 40 starfish had gathered on to one exposed fragment of explosive material. They were dwelling on steel casings, fuse pockets and carrying containers just centimetres from its explosive filling. Marine fish, crabs, sea anemones and bivalves were all found on the discarded explosives. It's similar to a reef ecosystem in terms of the abundance of fauna that was there, states Vedenin.

Unexpected Creature Concentration

An average of more than forty thousand animals were living on every square metre of the explosives, researchers wrote in their research on the observation. The nearby seabed was much poorer in life, with only 8,000 creatures on every square metre.

It is ironic that items that are designed to eliminate all life are hosting so much marine organisms, states Vedenin. One can observe how nature evolves after a devastating occurrence such as the second world war and how, in certain respects, marine life finds its way to the most risky locations.

Artificial Structures as Ocean Environments

Man-made features such as sunken vessels, offshore windfarms, oil rigs and undersea pipes can create substitutes, compensating for some of the removed marine environment. This study shows that weapons could be similarly positive – the explosion of life on those in the Bay of Lübeck is probable to be duplicated in other locations.

Between 1946 and the post-war period, 1.6 million tonnes of arms were dumped off the German coast. Thousands of workers placed them in boats; some were deposited in designated areas, others just discarded at sea en route. This is the first time experts have documented how ocean organisms has reacted.

Worldwide Examples of Marine Transformation

• In the US, retired drilling platforms have become coral reefs
• Shipwrecks from the first world war have become homes for marine life along the Potomac in the state of Maryland
• Tank tracks that have become habitat to reef-building organisms off Asan in the Pacific island

These areas become even more crucial for marine life as the marine environments are increasingly stripped by commercial fishing, seafloor dredging and boat mooring. Shipwrecks and weapons dump sites practically act as refuges – they are not official reserves, but almost any kind of anthropogenic disturbance is banned, states Vedenin. Therefore a lot of organisms that are otherwise rare or decreasing, such as the Baltic cod, are thriving.

Coming Factors

Anywhere armed conflict has occurred in the last century, surrounding seas are typically strewn with weapons, states Vedenin. Many millions of tons of explosive material lie in our seas.

The locations of these explosives are inadequately mapped, in part because of national borders, restricted armed forces records and the fact that documents are buried in old files. They present an detonation and safety risk, as well as risk from the persistent leakage of poisonous compounds.

As Germany and additional nations begin removing these remains, experts hope to safeguard the habitats that have formed in their vicinity. In the Bay of Lübeck explosives are presently being removed.

It would be wise to substitute these iron structures remaining from munitions with some more secure, some harmless objects, like maybe artificial reefs, says Vedenin.

He currently wishes that what occurs in Lübeck creates a model for replacing habitats after explosive extraction in other locations – because including the most harmful explosives can become scaffolding for new life.