World War II Bombs, Torpedo Heads and Naval Mines: The Way Marine Life Flourishes on Discarded Armaments

In the slightly salty waters off the German coast sits a graveyard of World War II explosives, torpedo heads and mines. Discarded from boats at the conclusion of the World War II and left behind, numerous weapons have become matted together over the decades. They comprise a rusting blanket on the low-depth, muddy ocean floor of the Lübeck Bay in the western tip of the Baltic.

Over the years, the explosive stockpile was overlooked and forgotten about. A growing number of visitors came to the sandy beaches and tranquil sea for jetskiing, kiteboarding and amusement parks. Beneath the surface, the munitions eroded.

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

When the team went searching to see what they were affecting to the ecosystem, some of us expected to see a desert, with nothing living there because it was all toxic, says a scientist.

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

Thousands of marine animals had settled among the munitions, forming a renewed marine community richer than the ocean bottom nearby.

This marine city was proof to the tenacity of marine life. It is actually surprising how much marine organisms we observe in areas that are considered toxic and risky, he explains.

In excess of 40 starfish had piled on to one accessible fragment of explosive material. They were residing on iron containers, detonator compartments and transport cases just a short distance from its volatile core. Marine fish, crustaceans, sea anemones and mussels were all found on the old munitions. You could compare it with a marine reef in terms of the amount of creatures that was present, says Vedenin.

Unexpected Population Density

An average of more than 40,000 organisms were dwelling on every meter squared of the weapons, researchers documented in their research on the discovery. The nearby seabed was much sparser, with only eight thousand individuals on every square metre.

It is ironic that things that are intended to kill everything are attracting so much life, explains Vedenin. One can observe how the natural world evolves after a devastating occurrence such as the World War II and how, in certain respects, life establishes itself to the most risky locations.

Man-made Structures as Ocean Habitats

Artificial features such as sunken vessels, wind turbines, drilling platforms and undersea pipes can provide substitutes, restoring some of the destroyed habitat. This investigation shows that weapons could be comparably positive – the proliferation of life on those in the Lübeck Bay is probable to be found in different areas.

Between 1946 and the post-war period, 1.6 million tonnes of weapons were discarded off the Germany's shoreline. Numerous of people loaded them in barges; a portion were deposited in designated areas, others just discarded at sea while traveling. This is the initial instance scientists have recorded how marine life has responded.

Global Instances of Ocean Transformation

• In the US, retired energy installations have transformed into marine habitats
• Submerged vessels from the first world war have become environments for creatures along the Potomac River in the state of Maryland
• Tank tracks that have become environment to reef-building organisms off Asan beach in the Pacific island

These locations become even more important for wildlife as the seas are increasingly denuded by fishing, seafloor dredging and boat mooring. Sunken ships and weapons dump sites effectively function as protected areas – they are not official reserves, but virtually any kind of human activity is banned, states Vedenin. Therefore a numerous of species that are usually uncommon or decreasing, such as the Baltic cod, are prospering.

Future Considerations

Anywhere armed conflict has happened in the past 100 years, surrounding seas are typically containing explosives, says Vedenin. Many millions of tonnes of volatile compounds remain in our marine environments.

The positions of these munitions are insufficiently mapped, partly because of national borders, classified military information and the situation that archives are buried in historical records. They pose an detonation and safety danger, as well as risk from the continuous emission of toxic chemicals.

As the German government and other countries embark on clearing these relics, scientists aim to preserve the marine communities that have developed nearby. In the Bay of Lübeck weapons are already being cleared.

We should replace these steel remains remaining from munitions with certain less dangerous, various non-dangerous structures, like maybe man-made habitats, suggests Vedenin.

He presently hopes that what happens in the Bay of Lübeck creates a precedent for substituting habitats after explosive extraction elsewhere – because including the most destructive armaments can become foundation for new life.