Nazi Munitions, Torpedo Heads and Mines: How Marine Life Flourishes on Dumped Armaments

In the brackish waters off the Germany's shoreline sits a graveyard of Nazi bombs, torpedoes and mines. Discarded from vessels at the end of the second world war and forgotten about, numerous weapons have accumulated over the decades. They comprise a decaying blanket on the shallow, silty ocean floor of the Bay of Lübeck in the western part of the Baltic Sea.

Over the decades, the wartime weapons was overlooked and neglected. A increasing amount of visitors flocked to the coastal areas and tranquil sea for water sports, kiteboarding and entertainment venues. Beneath the surface, the weapons eroded.

Some of us expected to see a lifeless zone, with no organisms because it was all toxic, says a scientist.

When the team went searching to see what they were affecting to the ecosystem, researchers expected to see a barren area, with no life because it was all contaminated, explains Andrey Vedenin.

What they observed astonished them. Vedenin remembers his colleagues exclaiming in amazement when the underwater vehicle first relayed pictures. It was a memorable occasion, he recalls.

Numerous of marine animals had established habitats on the munitions, forming a renewed marine community richer than the ocean bottom around it.

This ocean community was evidence to the resilience of life. Truly remarkable how much marine organisms we discover in places that are considered toxic and dangerous, he says.

In excess of 40 sea stars had gathered on to one exposed piece of TNT. They were residing on iron containers, detonator compartments and transport cases just centimetres from its volatile core. Marine fish, crabs, sea anemones and mussels were all discovered on the historic weapons. It's similar to a reef ecosystem in terms of the amount of creatures that was present, states Vedenin.

Unexpected Population Density

An average of more than forty thousand animals were dwelling on every square metre of the weapons, experts documented in their paper on the observation. The surrounding area was much poorer in life, with only eight thousand organisms on every square metre.

It is ironic that objects that are intended to eliminate everything are hosting so much life, says Vedenin. It's evident how the natural world adapts after a major disaster such as the World War II and how, in some way, life finds its way to the most risky places.

Man-made Structures as Marine Environments

Man-made structures such as sunken vessels, offshore windfarms, drilling platforms and pipelines can provide alternatives, restoring some of the destroyed marine environment. This research shows that weapons could be similarly advantageous – the proliferation of marine organisms on those in the Bay of Lübeck is probable to be repeated in other locations.

Between 1946 and 1948, 1.6m tons of weapons were disposed of off the Germany's coast. Thousands of people transported them in vessels; a portion were dropped in specific areas, the remainder just discarded at sea while traveling. This is the first time experts have documented how marine life has reacted.

Worldwide Examples of Marine Transformation

• In the United States, decommissioned drilling platforms have become marine habitats
• Sunken ships from the first world war have become habitats for wildlife along the Potomac in the state of Maryland
• Tank tracks that have become habitat to reef-building organisms off Asan in Guam

These areas become even more valuable for marine life as the seas are increasingly depleted by fishing, bottom trawling and anchoring. Shipwrecks and explosive disposal locations essentially serve as protected areas – they are not national parks, but virtually any kind of human activity is prohibited, states Vedenin. Consequently a many of organisms that are otherwise uncommon or decreasing, such as the cod fish, are thriving.

Coming Issues

Anywhere military conflict has taken place in the recent history, surrounding seas are usually strewn with munitions, states Vedenin. Many millions of tons of explosive material lie in our oceans.

The positions of these weapons are poorly recorded, partly because of international boundaries, restricted armed forces records and the fact that archives are hidden in historical records. They present an detonation and safety hazard, as well as threat from the persistent emission of toxic chemicals.

As the German government and other countries begin clearing these relics, researchers aim to preserve the marine communities that have formed nearby. In the Lübeck Bay munitions are already being extracted.

Researchers recommend substitute these metal carcasses originating from munitions with certain more secure, various safe materials, like maybe man-made habitats, suggests Vedenin.

He presently hopes that what happens in Lübeck sets a model for replacing material after explosive extraction in other locations – because also the most damaging weaponry can become scaffolding for ocean ecosystems.