Nazi Explosives, Torpedo Heads and Naval Mines: The Way Ocean Creatures Thrives on Abandoned Armaments

In the slightly salty sea off the Germany's coast lies a graveyard of Nazi bombs, torpedo heads and mines. Dumped from vessels at the conclusion of the second world war and forgotten about, numerous munitions have accumulated over the years. They form a decaying carpet on the shallow, silty ocean floor of the Lübeck Bay in the western part of the Baltic.

Over the years, the explosive stockpile was ignored and forgotten about. A growing number of visitors flocked to the sandy beaches and tranquil sea for jetskiing, kiteboarding and amusement parks. Below the waves, the munitions deteriorated.

We initially expected to see a barren area, with nothing living there because it was all toxic, states a scientist.

When the first scientists went investigating to see what they were doing to the marine environment, researchers expected to see a barren area, with no life because it was all contaminated, states Andrey Vedenin.

What they found astonished them. Vedenin recalls his scientists reacting with shock when the ROV first transmitted footage. This was a memorable occasion, he notes.

Countless of marine animals had settled among the munitions, creating a regenerated marine community denser than the ocean bottom nearby.

This underwater metropolis was testament to the tenacity of life. Indeed astonishing how much marine organisms we discover in places that are expected to be dangerous and dangerous, he explains.

Over 40 starfish had clustered on to one visible fragment of TNT. They were living on metal shells, ignition chambers and transport cases just centimetres from its explosive filling. Marine fish, crustaceans, anemones and mussels were all discovered on the historic weapons. You could compare it with a coral reef in terms of the abundance of fauna that was inhabiting the area, states Vedenin.

Unexpected Population Density

An average of more than 40,000 animals were residing on every meter squared of the explosives, scientists reported in their study on the finding. The nearby seabed was much poorer in life, with only 8,000 creatures on every meter squared.

It is surprising that items that are designed to eliminate everything are drawing so much life, says Vedenin. One can observe how nature evolves after a major disaster such as the second world war and how, in certain respects, marine life finds its way to the most hazardous places.

Man-made Features as Marine Habitats

Man-made structures such as shipwrecks, wind turbines, oil rigs and pipelines can offer substitutes, restoring some of the lost marine environment. This research shows that weapons could be similarly beneficial – the bloom of marine organisms on those in the Lübeck Bay is probable to be duplicated elsewhere.

Between 1946 and the post-war period, 1.6m tonnes of munitions were dumped off the German shoreline. Countless of people transported them in vessels; a portion were dropped in allocated locations, others just dumped en route. This is the first time scientists have documented how ocean organisms has reacted.

Worldwide Instances of Marine Transformation

• In the US, retired oil and gas structures have transformed into coral reefs
• Submerged vessels from the first world war have become homes for wildlife along the Potomac in the state of Maryland
• Tank tracks that have become environment to reef-building organisms off Asan in Guam

These locations become even more crucial for organisms as the seas are increasingly denuded by commercial fishing, seafloor dredging and anchoring. Shipwrecks and explosive disposal locations effectively act as refuges – they are not official reserves, but nearly any kind of anthropogenic disturbance is banned, says Vedenin. Consequently a numerous of marine species that are usually uncommon or decreasing, such as the Baltic cod, are thriving.

Coming Considerations

Wherever military conflict has taken place in the last century, surrounding seas are often littered with weapons, states Vedenin. Millions of tonnes of explosive material remain in our oceans.

The sites of these explosives are inadequately documented, in part because of sovereign limits, restricted armed forces records and the fact that records are hidden in historic archives. They present an explosion and safety hazard, as well as danger from the continuous leakage of toxic chemicals.

As Germany and other countries begin clearing these relics, experts aim to protect the habitats that have developed nearby. In the Bay of Lübeck weapons are presently being cleared.

It would be wise to substitute these metal carcasses remaining from weapons with certain less dangerous, various harmless materials, like possibly man-made habitats, says Vedenin.

He currently aspires that what transpires in the Bay of Lübeck sets a example for replacing structures after weapon clearance elsewhere – because including the most damaging weaponry can become foundation for marine organisms.