World War II Munitions, Torpedo Heads and Naval Mines: The Way Ocean Creatures Flourishes on Abandoned Weapons

In the brackish sea off the German shoreline lies a wasteland of World War II explosives, torpedoes and naval mines. Dumped from boats at the conclusion of the World War II and neglected, thousands explosives have fused into clusters over the decades. They form a rusting layer on the low-depth, silty seafloor of the Lübeck Bay in the western tip of the Baltic.

Over the years, the Nazi arsenal was overlooked and forgotten about. A increasing amount of tourists traveled to the coastal areas and tranquil sea for jetskiing, kite surfing and amusement parks. Beneath the surface, the weapons decayed.

Researchers expected to see a lifeless zone, with nothing living there because it was all toxic, explains the lead researcher.

When the first scientists went searching to see what they were affecting to the ecosystem, some of us anticipated finding a lifeless zone, with nothing living there because it was all contaminated, states Andrey Vedenin.

What they found surprised them. Vedenin recounts his scientists exclaiming in amazement when the underwater vehicle first sent the images back. This was a great moment, he says.

Thousands of marine animals had settled among the munitions, forming a revitalized marine community richer than the seabed surrounding it.

This ocean community was proof to the persistence of marine life. Truly remarkable how much life we observe in locations that are supposed to be toxic and harmful, he explains.

More than 40 starfish had piled on to one accessible chunk of explosive material. They were residing on steel casings, ignition chambers and transport cases just a short distance from its dangerous content. Marine fish, crustaceans, sea anemones and bivalves were all observed on the discarded explosives. It resembles a coral reef in terms of the abundance of creatures that was present, says Vedenin.

Surprising Creature Concentration

An average of more than forty thousand creatures were residing on every square metre of the explosives, researchers reported in their research on the discovery. The surrounding area was much poorer in life, with only eight thousand organisms on every square metre.

It is paradoxical that things that are designed to eliminate everything are attracting so much marine organisms, says Vedenin. One can observe how nature adapts after a catastrophic event such as the World War II and how, in certain respects, marine life finds its way to the most dangerous places.

Man-made Features as Ocean Environments

Man-made features such as shipwrecks, wind turbines, oil rigs and pipelines can create substitutes, replacing some of the destroyed marine environment. This study shows that explosives could be equally beneficial – the proliferation of marine organisms on those in the Lübeck Bay is likely to be repeated in other locations.

Between 1946 and 1948, 1.6 million tons of munitions were discarded off the German coast. Thousands of workers loaded them in vessels; some were placed in designated areas, others just discarded at sea during transport. This is the first time experts have documented how ocean organisms has responded.

Worldwide Examples of Ocean Transformation

• In the US, decommissioned drilling platforms have turned into reef ecosystems
• Shipwrecks from the first world war have become environments for creatures along the Potomac in Maryland
• Military vehicle parts that have become habitat to reef-building organisms off Asan beach in the Pacific island

These locations become even more important for wildlife as the seas are increasingly depleted by commercial fishing, seafloor dredging and boat mooring. Shipwrecks and explosive disposal locations practically serve as refuges – they are not official reserves, but virtually any kind of human activity is banned, says Vedenin. Therefore a many of species that are otherwise rare or declining, such as the cod fish, are flourishing.

Coming Issues

Wherever military conflict has occurred in the recent history, adjacent waters are often littered with munitions, states Vedenin. Many millions of tonnes of dangerous substances lie in our oceans.

The locations of these explosives are inadequately documented, in part because of international boundaries, secret armed forces records and the situation that archives are hidden in old files. They create an detonation and safety hazard, as well as threat from the persistent release of toxic chemicals.

As Germany and other countries embark on removing these remains, scientists hope to preserve the marine communities that have established nearby. In the Bay of Lübeck explosives are already being extracted.

We should substitute these steel remains originating from munitions with some more secure, various safe objects, like possibly artificial reefs, says Vedenin.

He presently hopes that what transpires in the Bay of Lübeck establishes a example for substituting habitats after munitions removal in other locations – because even the most destructive explosives can become foundation for ocean ecosystems.