Nazi Munitions, Torpedoes and Mines: How Ocean Creatures Thrives on Discarded Weapons

In the brackish waters off the German coast rests a wasteland of World War II explosives, torpedo heads and naval mines. Thrown off boats at the end of the second world war and forgotten about, numerous weapons have accumulated over the decades. They create a decaying layer on the low-depth, silty ocean floor of the Bay of Lübeck in the western part of the Baltic.

Over the years, the wartime weapons was overlooked and neglected. A increasing amount of tourists came to the coastal areas and tranquil sea for jetskiing, kite surfing and entertainment venues. Below the waves, the munitions deteriorated.

We initially anticipated to see a barren area, with no organisms because it was all contaminated, says the lead researcher.

When the team went investigating to see what they were affecting to the ecosystem, researchers thought they would find a desert, with nothing living there because it was all poisoned, explains Andrey Vedenin.

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

Countless of ocean life had made their homes among the weapons, creating a regenerated marine community denser than the ocean bottom surrounding it.

This marine city was proof to the resilience of marine life. Truly remarkable how much marine organisms we discover in places that are supposed to be hazardous and dangerous, he explains.

In excess of 40 starfish had clustered on to one visible chunk of explosive material. They were dwelling on metal shells, detonator compartments and carrying containers just a short distance from its dangerous content. Fish, crabs, anemones and bivalves were all found on the discarded explosives. You could compare it with a coral reef in terms of the amount of animal life that was present, says Vedenin.

Surprising Creature Concentration

An mean of more than 40,000 creatures were residing on every meter squared of the munitions, scientists wrote in their paper on the observation. The surrounding area was much poorer in life, with only eight thousand creatures on every meter squared.

It is surprising that items that are meant to eliminate everything are drawing so much marine organisms, says Vedenin. One can observe how the natural world adapts after a devastating occurrence such as the second world war and how, in some way, life returns to the most risky areas.

Artificial Structures as Marine Habitats

Man-made constructions such as shipwrecks, wind turbines, drilling platforms and pipelines can provide substitutes, restoring some of the lost marine environment. This investigation reveals that weapons could be similarly beneficial – the bloom of marine organisms on those in the Bay of Lübeck is expected to be repeated in different areas.

Between 1946 and the post-war period, 1.6m tonnes of arms were dumped off the German coast. Thousands of individuals placed them in vessels; some were dropped in designated sites, others just dumped while traveling. This is the initial instance experts have studied how ocean organisms has reacted.

Global Examples of Ocean Transformation

• In the US, retired oil and gas structures have turned into coral reefs
• Shipwrecks from the World War I have become homes for wildlife along the Potomac in the state of Maryland
• Tank tracks that have become habitat to reef-building organisms off Asan beach in Guam

These locations become even more important for organisms as the marine environments are increasingly depleted by commercial fishing, bottom trawling and boat mooring. Sunken ships and munitions areas effectively serve as sanctuaries – they are not national parks, but almost any kind of anthropogenic disturbance is banned, says Vedenin. Consequently a lot of organisms that are typically uncommon or declining, such as the cod fish, are thriving.

Coming Considerations

Wherever armed conflict has taken place in the last century, nearby oceans are usually strewn with munitions, states Vedenin. Millions of tons of explosive material remain in our seas.

The locations of these explosives are poorly recorded, in part because of national borders, secret defense data and the reality that records are stored in historical records. They create an detonation and safety danger, as well as risk from the ongoing leakage of poisonous compounds.

As Germany and additional nations begin extracting these artifacts, scientists plan to safeguard the habitats that have established nearby. In the Bay of Lübeck munitions are currently being removed.

It would be wise to replace these steel remains remaining from weapons with certain less dangerous, various non-dangerous materials, like maybe artificial reefs, states Vedenin.

He now hopes that what happens in Lübeck sets a example for substituting habitats after weapon clearance elsewhere – because also the most damaging explosives can become scaffolding for new life.