World War II Explosives, Torpedo Heads and Naval Mines: The Way Ocean Creatures Thrives on Discarded Weapons

In the brackish sea off the Germany's shoreline sits a collection of World War II explosives, torpedo heads and mines. Dumped from boats at the conclusion of the second world war and forgotten about, countless weapons have accumulated over the decades. They comprise a rusting layer on the low-depth, silty seafloor of the Bay of Lübeck in the western part of the Baltic Sea.

Over the decades, the wartime weapons was ignored and neglected. A growing number of tourists traveled to the coastal areas and tranquil sea for water sports, kiteboarding and entertainment venues. Below the waves, the weapons eroded.

We initially anticipated to see a lifeless zone, with no life because it was all poisoned, explains the lead researcher.

When the team went investigating to see what they were affecting to the marine environment, the team anticipated finding a lifeless zone, with nothing living there because it was all contaminated, states the lead researcher.

What they observed amazed them. Vedenin recalls his scientists exclaiming in amazement when the ROV first transmitted footage. It was a remarkable experience, he notes.

Numerous of sea creatures had settled amid the explosives, forming a renewed habitat richer than the sea floor around it.

This ocean community was testament to the persistence of marine life. Indeed remarkable how much marine organisms we find in places that are considered hazardous and harmful, he explains.

In excess of 40 starfish had gathered on to one accessible chunk of explosive material. They were residing on steel casings, detonator compartments and transport cases just centimetres from its explosive filling. Fish, crustaceans, sea anemones and bivalves were all found on the historic weapons. You could compare it with a coral reef in terms of the abundance of fauna that was present, says Vedenin.

Unexpected Population Density

An average of more than forty thousand animals were residing on every meter squared of the munitions, scientists reported in their study on the discovery. The adjacent region was much sparser, with only eight thousand individuals on every square metre.

It is paradoxical that things that are intended to kill all life are hosting so much marine organisms, says Vedenin. One can observe how the natural world adjusts after a major disaster such as the World War II and how, in some way, marine life finds its way to the most risky areas.

Man-made Structures as Marine Environments

Artificial structures such as shipwrecks, wind turbines, oil rigs and pipelines can offer substitutes, compensating for some of the destroyed habitat. This study shows that explosives could be similarly beneficial – the explosion of marine organisms on those in the Bay of Lübeck is probable to be repeated elsewhere.

Between 1946 and 1948, 1.6 million tonnes of munitions were discarded off the Germany's coast. Thousands of workers placed them in boats; some were placed in allocated areas, the remainder just dumped during transport. This is the initial instance experts have studied how marine life has adapted.

Global Examples of Ocean Adaptation

• In the United States, retired oil and gas structures have turned into coral reefs
• Shipwrecks from the World War I have become homes for wildlife along the Potomac River in Maryland
• Tank tracks that have become habitat to coral off Asan beach in the Pacific island

These areas become even more important for marine life as the oceans are increasingly depleted by commercial fishing, seafloor dredging and boat mooring. Sunken ships and weapons dump sites effectively serve as sanctuaries – they are not national parks, but nearly any kind of anthropogenic disturbance is prohibited, says Vedenin. As a result a numerous of species that are usually scarce or diminishing, such as the cod fish, are flourishing.

Coming Considerations

Wherever armed conflict has occurred in the recent history, surrounding seas are typically strewn with weapons, says Vedenin. Millions of tons of volatile compounds lie in our oceans.

The locations of these explosives are inadequately recorded, partially because of international boundaries, restricted military information and the reality that documents are stored in historic archives. They create an detonation and security hazard, as well as danger from the ongoing release of poisonous compounds.

As the German government and different states begin clearing these relics, scientists plan to safeguard the ecosystems that have formed around them. In the Lübeck Bay munitions are presently being extracted.

We should replace these iron structures left from weapons with some more secure, various harmless structures, like possibly man-made habitats, states Vedenin.

He currently wishes that what occurs in Lübeck establishes a precedent for replacing structures after munitions removal in other locations – because even the most destructive explosives can become foundation for marine organisms.