Nazi Bombs, Torpedoes and Naval Mines: How Ocean Creatures Prosper on Dumped Weapons

In the brackish waters off the Germany's shoreline rests a wasteland of World War II explosives, torpedoes and mines. Dumped from vessels at the conclusion of the World War II and forgotten about, thousands weapons have become matted together over the years. They comprise a decaying carpet on the shallow, muddy seafloor of the Bay of Lübeck in the western tip of the Baltic Sea.

Over the years, the explosive stockpile was ignored and forgotten about. A growing number of visitors came to the sandy beaches and tranquil sea for jetskiing, kiteboarding and entertainment venues. Beneath the surface, the munitions deteriorated.

Some of us anticipated to see a desert, with nothing living there because it was all poisoned, says the lead researcher.

When the initial researchers went searching to see what they were affecting to the ecosystem, the team thought they would find a lifeless zone, with no life because it was all toxic, explains Andrey Vedenin.

What they observed amazed them. Vedenin remembers his colleagues exclaiming in amazement when the underwater vehicle first transmitted footage. This was a great moment, he says.

Thousands of ocean life had established habitats among the munitions, developing a renewed ecosystem denser than the sea floor around it.

This ocean community was evidence to the tenacity of marine life. It is actually remarkable how much marine organisms we find in areas that are supposed to be hazardous and harmful, he states.

More than 40 starfish had clustered on to one accessible piece of explosive material. They were dwelling on iron containers, ignition chambers and carrying containers just a short distance from its dangerous content. Marine fish, crabs, anemones and bivalves were all discovered on the historic weapons. You could compare it with a reef ecosystem in terms of the quantity of animal life that was inhabiting the area, states Vedenin.

Unexpected Population Density

An average of more than 40,000 organisms were residing on every meter squared of the explosives, experts reported in their research on the finding. The nearby seabed was much sparser, with only 8,000 organisms on every square metre.

It is surprising that things that are intended to eliminate all life are attracting so much life, says Vedenin. You can see 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 hazardous areas.

Artificial Features as Ocean Habitats

Artificial structures such as shipwrecks, wind turbines, oil rigs and pipelines can provide substitutes, replacing some of the destroyed marine environment. This study demonstrates that explosives could be equally positive – the bloom of marine organisms on those in the Bay of Lübeck is likely to be repeated elsewhere.

Between the late 1940s and 1948, 1.6m tonnes of weapons were disposed of off the Germany's coast. Numerous of people loaded them in barges; some were dropped in designated locations, the remainder just dumped en route. This is the first time researchers have documented how marine life has adapted.

Global Examples of Ocean Adaptation

• In the US, retired energy installations have turned into reef ecosystems
• Shipwrecks from the first world war have become homes for creatures along the Potomac River in Maryland
• Tank tracks that have become habitat to reef-building organisms off Asan beach in Guam

These places become even more crucial for marine life as the seas are increasingly denuded by fishing, seafloor dredging and anchoring. Shipwrecks and weapons dump sites practically function as refuges – they are not official reserves, but almost any kind of anthropogenic disturbance is restricted, explains Vedenin. Therefore a numerous of marine species that are otherwise rare or decreasing, such as the Baltic cod, are prospering.

Future Considerations

Wherever warfare has happened in the recent history, surrounding seas are usually littered with explosives, says Vedenin. Millions of tonnes of dangerous substances remain in our seas.

The sites of these explosives are insufficiently mapped, partly because of national borders, secret military information and the reality that documents are stored in historic archives. They create an explosion and security hazard, as well as threat from the persistent release of poisonous compounds.

As the German government and other countries start clearing these remains, experts hope to preserve the ecosystems that have established around them. In the Lübeck Bay explosives are presently being removed.

We should replace these metal carcasses remaining from weapons with some more secure, some safe materials, like maybe artificial reefs, says Vedenin.

He now aspires that what occurs in the Bay of Lübeck sets a model for substituting structures after weapon clearance in different areas – because also the most harmful weaponry can become scaffolding for marine organisms.