World War II Bombs, Torpedoes and Naval Mines: How Ocean Creatures Prosper on Discarded Armaments

In the slightly salty sea off the Germany's coast lies a graveyard of Nazi bombs, torpedoes and mines. Thrown off boats at the end of the World War II and left behind, numerous explosives have fused into clusters over the years. They form a rusting layer on the shallow, muddy seafloor of the Bay of Lübeck in the western tip of the Baltic.

Over the years, the Nazi arsenal was overlooked and neglected. A increasing amount of tourists came to the coastal areas and calm waters for water sports, kite surfing and amusement parks. Beneath the surface, the munitions deteriorated.

We initially anticipated to see a desert, with no life because it was all contaminated, explains the lead researcher.

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

What they discovered surprised them. Vedenin recalls his scientists exclaiming in amazement when the underwater vehicle first sent the images back. This was a memorable occasion, he says.

Numerous of marine animals had settled on the munitions, developing a regenerated marine community denser than the sea floor around it.

This ocean community was testament to the tenacity of marine life. Indeed remarkable how much life we find in places that are expected to be dangerous and dangerous, he says.

Over 40 starfish had piled on to one visible chunk of TNT. They were dwelling on steel casings, ignition chambers and storage boxes just a short distance from its volatile core. Fish, crabs, sea anemones and bivalves were all found on the discarded explosives. It's similar to a coral reef in terms of the abundance of animal life that was present, states Vedenin.

Surprising Creature Concentration

An mean of more than 40,000 organisms were dwelling on every square metre of the weapons, experts reported in their research on the observation. The nearby seabed was much less diverse, with only eight thousand individuals on every square metre.

It is surprising that items that are designed to kill all life are attracting so much life, explains Vedenin. You can see how nature evolves after a major disaster such as the second world war and how, in some way, marine life finds its way to the most dangerous areas.

Man-made Features as Marine Habitats

Man-made features such as sunken vessels, wind turbines, drilling platforms and pipelines can provide alternatives, compensating for some of the destroyed marine environment. This study demonstrates that weapons could be similarly positive – the proliferation of life on those in the Bay of Lübeck is expected to be found elsewhere.

Between 1946 and the post-war period, 1.6m tonnes of arms were discarded off the Germany's shoreline. Thousands of workers transported them in boats; a portion were dropped in allocated sites, the remainder just discarded at sea while traveling. This is the first time scientists have documented how marine life has reacted.

Global Examples of Ocean Adaptation

• In the United States, retired energy installations have turned into coral reefs
• Sunken ships from the World War I have become environments for marine life along the Potomac in the state of Maryland
• Military vehicle parts that have become environment to reef-building organisms off Asan in Guam

These areas become even more valuable for wildlife as the oceans are increasingly depleted by commercial fishing, bottom trawling and boat mooring. Sunken ships and explosive disposal locations practically serve as refuges – they are not national parks, but virtually any kind of anthropogenic disturbance is restricted, states Vedenin. As a result a many of species that are usually uncommon or declining, such as the Baltic cod, are prospering.

Coming Factors

Anywhere armed conflict has occurred in the last century, adjacent waters are often littered with explosives, explains Vedenin. Many millions of tons of dangerous substances rest in our seas.

The sites of these explosives are insufficiently mapped, partially because of national borders, restricted military information and the situation that documents are stored in historic archives. They create an explosion and safety hazard, as well as danger from the persistent leakage of poisonous compounds.

As the German government and other countries start removing these artifacts, scientists aim to safeguard the ecosystems that have established in their vicinity. In the Bay of Lübeck weapons are currently being removed.

We should replace these steel remains remaining from weapons with certain less dangerous, various non-dangerous objects, like possibly artificial reefs, says Vedenin.

He currently hopes that what occurs in Lübeck sets a example for substituting material after explosive extraction in other locations – because even the most destructive weaponry can become foundation for new life.