Nazi Bombs, Torpedo Heads and Mines: The Way Marine Life Flourishes on Discarded Weapons

In the slightly salty waters off the German coast rests a wasteland of Nazi bombs, torpedo heads and naval mines. Thrown off boats at the conclusion of the World War II and forgotten about, thousands munitions have become matted together over the decades. They form a corroding carpet on the shallow, muddy ocean floor of the Bay of Lübeck in the western tip of the Baltic Sea.

Over the decades, the explosive stockpile was overlooked and forgotten about. A growing number of visitors traveled to the sandy beaches and calm waters for water sports, kite surfing and amusement parks. Below the waves, the weapons eroded.

We initially anticipated to see a desert, with no organisms because it was all toxic, says Andrey Vedenin.

When the team went looking to see what they were doing to the marine environment, researchers expected to see a lifeless zone, with no organisms because it was all poisoned, states the lead researcher.

What they discovered surprised them. Vedenin remembers his colleagues reacting with shock when the underwater vehicle first sent the images back. This was a remarkable experience, he recalls.

Numerous of sea creatures had settled among the munitions, forming a revitalized ecosystem denser than the ocean bottom nearby.

This marine city was proof to the tenacity of marine life. Truly remarkable how much marine organisms we discover in areas that are considered dangerous and risky, he states.

Over 40 starfish had piled on to one accessible piece of explosive material. They were living on steel casings, ignition chambers and carrying containers just a short distance from its dangerous content. Fish, crabs, anemones and mussels were all discovered on the historic weapons. It resembles a coral reef in terms of the abundance of fauna that was inhabiting the area, notes Vedenin.

Remarkable Creature Concentration

An average of more than forty thousand organisms were dwelling on every square metre of the munitions, researchers wrote in their paper on the observation. The adjacent region was much sparser, with only 8,000 individuals on every square metre.

It is surprising that objects that are meant to eliminate all life are attracting so much life, says Vedenin. You can see how nature adapts after a catastrophic event such as the second world war and how, in certain respects, marine life returns to the most hazardous areas.

Man-made Structures as Ocean Environments

Man-made structures such as sunken vessels, wind turbines, drilling platforms and undersea pipes can create alternatives, compensating for some of the lost habitat. This study reveals that explosives could be similarly positive – the bloom of life on those in the Lübeck Bay is probable to be found in other locations.

Between 1946 and the post-war period, 1.6 million tonnes of weapons were dumped off the German coast. Countless of individuals loaded them in barges; some were deposited in allocated sites, the remainder just discarded at sea during transport. This is the initial instance scientists have studied how ocean organisms has adapted.

Global Examples of Marine Adaptation

• In the United States, decommissioned energy installations have transformed into coral reefs
• Sunken ships from the World War I have become habitats for wildlife along the Potomac in Maryland
• Military vehicle parts that have become habitat to reef-building organisms off Asan beach in Guam

These locations become even more crucial for wildlife as the oceans are increasingly depleted by commercial fishing, seafloor dredging and boat mooring. Shipwrecks and weapons dump sites effectively serve as refuges – they are not official reserves, but almost any kind of anthropogenic disturbance is prohibited, says Vedenin. Consequently a numerous of species that are usually uncommon or declining, such as the Baltic cod, are thriving.

Coming Factors

Anywhere armed conflict has happened in the last century, nearby oceans are usually littered with weapons, explains Vedenin. Many millions of tonnes of volatile compounds lie in our oceans.

The sites of these weapons are poorly mapped, partially because of international boundaries, restricted armed forces records and the reality that archives are hidden in old files. They pose an detonation and safety risk, as well as danger from the persistent emission of hazardous substances.

As Germany and other countries begin removing these artifacts, scientists plan to preserve the marine communities that have developed in their vicinity. In the Lübeck Bay weapons are presently being cleared.

It would be wise to replace these iron structures left from munitions with certain more secure, various harmless materials, like perhaps concrete structures, says Vedenin.

He currently wishes that what happens in Lübeck creates a example for substituting material after explosive extraction in other locations – because including the most damaging explosives can become scaffolding for new life.