Nazi Explosives, Torpedo Heads and Mines: The Way Ocean Creatures Prosper on Discarded Weapons

In the slightly salty waters off the Germany's coast sits a collection of Nazi bombs, torpedoes and naval mines. Thrown off barges at the end of the World War II and forgotten about, numerous weapons have accumulated over the years. They form a decaying layer on the shallow, silty seafloor of the Lübeck Bay in the western part of the Baltic.

Over the decades, the explosive stockpile was overlooked and neglected. A increasing amount of tourists came to the coastal areas and tranquil sea for jetskiing, kite surfing and amusement parks. Underwater, the munitions decayed.

We initially expected to see a lifeless zone, with no life because it was all contaminated, says a scientist.

When the team went looking to see what they were doing to the marine environment, the team expected to see a desert, with no organisms because it was all poisoned, states Andrey Vedenin.

What they discovered amazed them. Vedenin recounts his scientists exclaiming in amazement when the underwater vehicle first transmitted footage. That moment was a remarkable experience, he notes.

Numerous of ocean life had settled among the weapons, developing a revitalized habitat richer than the ocean bottom surrounding it.

This marine city was evidence to the resilience of life. Indeed surprising how much life we find in locations that are expected to be toxic and dangerous, he says.

More than 40 sea stars had gathered on to one accessible chunk of TNT. They were dwelling on steel casings, detonator compartments and carrying containers just a short distance from its explosive filling. Marine fish, crabs, anemones and mussels were all found on the old munitions. It's similar to a marine reef in terms of the quantity of fauna that was present, says Vedenin.

Unexpected Population Density

An average of more than 40,000 animals were dwelling on every meter squared of the weapons, researchers reported in their paper on the observation. The adjacent region was much poorer in life, with only eight thousand individuals on every square metre.

It is paradoxical that things that are intended to eliminate everything are hosting so much marine organisms, explains Vedenin. It's evident how the natural world adjusts after a devastating occurrence such as the World War II and how, in some way, marine life establishes itself to the most dangerous locations.

Artificial Structures as Ocean Habitats

Man-made constructions such as sunken vessels, offshore windfarms, oil rigs and undersea pipes can offer alternatives, compensating for some of the destroyed habitat. This study reveals that weapons could be comparably beneficial – the explosion of marine organisms on those in the Bay of Lübeck is probable to be duplicated in other locations.

Between 1946 and the post-war period, 1.6m tonnes of arms were dumped off the German coast. Numerous of individuals loaded them in boats; a portion were placed in designated sites, others just dumped while traveling. This is the first time scientists have recorded how marine life has adapted.

Global Instances of Ocean Transformation

• In the US, decommissioned drilling platforms have transformed into coral reefs
• Sunken ships from the first world war have become homes for marine life along the Potomac in Maryland
• Military vehicle parts that have become environment to coral off Asan in Guam

These locations become even more valuable for marine life as the oceans are increasingly denuded by fishing, bottom trawling and boat mooring. Shipwrecks and explosive disposal locations essentially act as sanctuaries – they are not national parks, but virtually any kind of human activity is prohibited, explains Vedenin. Therefore a lot of marine species that are usually uncommon or diminishing, such as the Baltic cod, are prospering.

Future Issues

Anywhere military conflict has taken place in the past 100 years, nearby oceans are often containing explosives, says Vedenin. Millions of tonnes of volatile compounds rest in our oceans.

The locations of these munitions are inadequately mapped, partly because of international boundaries, secret armed forces records and the situation that records are buried in old files. They pose an explosion and security hazard, as well as danger from the ongoing leakage of poisonous compounds.

As the German government and other countries embark on extracting these artifacts, experts aim to preserve the ecosystems that have developed in their vicinity. In the Lübeck Bay munitions are presently being extracted.

Researchers recommend substitute these iron structures remaining from munitions with some more secure, various non-dangerous materials, like possibly concrete structures, says Vedenin.

He now hopes that what happens in the Bay of Lübeck creates a precedent for substituting habitats after explosive extraction elsewhere – because also the most damaging armaments can become framework for new life.