World War II Explosives, Torpedoes and Naval Mines: The Way Marine Life Prosper on Dumped Weapons

In the brackish sea off the Germany's shoreline lies a graveyard of World War II explosives, torpedo heads and mines. Thrown off vessels at the end of the World War II and forgotten about, thousands munitions have accumulated over the decades. They comprise a rusting carpet on the low-depth, silty seafloor of the Lübeck Bay in the western tip of the Baltic.

Over the years, the wartime weapons was overlooked and forgotten about. A growing number of tourists flocked to the coastal areas and tranquil sea for jetskiing, kiteboarding and entertainment venues. Beneath the surface, the weapons eroded.

We initially anticipated to see a desert, with nothing living there because it was all toxic, states the lead researcher.

When the first scientists went searching to see what they were doing to the ecosystem, some of us expected to see a barren area, with no life because it was all toxic, says Andrey Vedenin.

What they observed astonished them. Vedenin recalls his scientists shouting with surprise when the ROV first sent the images back. It was a remarkable experience, he says.

Countless of ocean life had made their homes among the munitions, developing a renewed habitat richer than the seabed surrounding it.

This underwater metropolis was testament to the resilience of life. Truly astonishing how much marine organisms we find in locations that are expected to be hazardous and harmful, he states.

In excess of 40 starfish had clustered on to one exposed fragment of TNT. They were dwelling on steel casings, ignition chambers and transport cases just centimetres from its explosive filling. Marine fish, crustaceans, anemones and bivalves were all found on the discarded explosives. It resembles a marine reef in terms of the abundance of animal life that was inhabiting the area, notes Vedenin.

Unexpected Creature Concentration

An mean of more than forty thousand creatures were dwelling on every square metre of the munitions, experts reported in their study on the observation. The nearby seabed was much sparser, with only 8,000 organisms on every meter squared.

It is surprising that things that are intended to destroy everything are attracting so much marine organisms, says Vedenin. It's evident how the natural world evolves after a devastating occurrence such as the World War II and how, in some way, life returns to the most dangerous areas.

Artificial Structures as Ocean Environments

Artificial structures such as sunken vessels, offshore windfarms, oil rigs and undersea pipes can provide substitutes, replacing some of the lost marine environment. This investigation shows that weapons could be similarly advantageous – the bloom of life on those in the Bay of Lübeck is probable to be found in other locations.

Between the late 1940s and 1948, 1.6m tons of arms were dumped off the Germany's coast. Numerous of individuals loaded them in barges; some were deposited in designated areas, others just thrown overboard en route. This is the initial instance researchers have recorded how ocean organisms has responded.

Global Examples of Marine Transformation

• In the US, decommissioned oil and gas structures have turned into coral reefs
• Submerged vessels from the World War I have become environments for marine life along the Potomac River in Maryland
• Military vehicle parts that have become home to coral off Asan in the Pacific island

These areas become even more valuable for wildlife as the seas are increasingly stripped by fishing, seafloor dredging and boat mooring. Shipwrecks and weapons dump sites effectively function as sanctuaries – they are not official reserves, but almost any kind of anthropogenic disturbance is restricted, says Vedenin. As a result a numerous of species that are usually uncommon or declining, such as the cod fish, are prospering.

Future Factors

Anywhere warfare has occurred in the last century, adjacent waters are often containing munitions, says Vedenin. Millions of tonnes of volatile compounds remain in our seas.

The locations of these explosives are inadequately recorded, partly because of sovereign limits, secret defense data and the reality that records are stored in old files. They pose an explosion and security hazard, as well as threat from the ongoing leakage of hazardous substances.

As the German government and additional nations start removing these relics, scientists aim to preserve the habitats that have formed around them. In the Bay of Lübeck munitions are already being cleared.

It would be wise to substitute these metal carcasses left from munitions with certain less dangerous, some non-dangerous objects, like perhaps artificial reefs, states Vedenin.

He currently wishes that what occurs in the Bay of Lübeck creates a example for substituting material after weapon clearance elsewhere – because even the most harmful explosives can become scaffolding for marine organisms.