Nazi Munitions, Torpedoes and Mines: How Marine Life Flourishes on Dumped Weapons

In the slightly salty sea off the German shoreline sits a graveyard of Nazi bombs, torpedo heads and naval mines. Dumped from barges at the end of the World War II and forgotten about, thousands weapons have become matted together over the decades. They form a rusting blanket on the shallow, silty seafloor of the Lübeck Bay in the western part of the Baltic.

Over the years, the explosive stockpile was overlooked and neglected. A increasing amount of visitors flocked to the coastal areas and calm waters for water sports, kiteboarding and entertainment venues. Below the waves, the weapons deteriorated.

Researchers thought to see a barren area, with nothing living there because it was all toxic, says a scientist.

When the first scientists went searching to see what they were doing to the marine environment, researchers thought they would find a lifeless zone, with no life because it was all contaminated, states a scientist.

What they observed astonished them. Vedenin remembers his colleagues exclaiming in amazement when the submersible first transmitted footage. That moment was a memorable occasion, he says.

Thousands of ocean life had made their homes amid the munitions, developing a renewed ecosystem richer than the ocean bottom surrounding it.

This marine city was testament to the persistence of life. Truly surprising how much marine organisms we observe in places that are supposed to be dangerous and risky, he explains.

Over 40 starfish had gathered on to one visible chunk of explosive material. They were living on metal shells, detonator compartments and storage boxes just centimetres from its explosive filling. Fish, crustaceans, sea anemones and bivalves were all found on the historic weapons. It's similar to a marine reef in terms of the abundance of creatures that was there, says Vedenin.

Remarkable Population Density

An average of more than 40,000 creatures were residing on every meter squared of the weapons, scientists documented in their study on the observation. The adjacent region was much poorer in life, with only eight thousand creatures on every meter squared.

It is surprising that things that are designed to destroy everything are attracting so much life, explains Vedenin. You can see how nature adjusts after a devastating occurrence such as the World War II and how, in some way, marine life establishes itself to the most risky areas.

Man-made Features as Marine Habitats

Artificial features such as shipwrecks, wind turbines, oil rigs and undersea pipes can offer replacements, restoring some of the lost habitat. This investigation reveals that weapons could be equally advantageous – the proliferation of marine organisms on those in the Bay of Lübeck is expected to be duplicated elsewhere.

Between 1946 and the post-war period, 1.6 million tons of arms were disposed of off the German coast. Thousands of workers placed them in vessels; some were placed in specific areas, the remainder just thrown overboard en route. This is the first time scientists have documented how marine life has reacted.

Worldwide Examples of Ocean Adaptation

• In the United States, retired drilling platforms have transformed into marine habitats
• Sunken ships from the first world war have become homes for marine life along the Potomac River in Maryland
• Tank tracks that have become home to reef-building organisms off Asan in Guam

These locations become even more crucial for organisms as the marine environments are increasingly denuded by commercial fishing, seafloor dredging and anchoring. Shipwrecks and explosive disposal locations practically serve as refuges – they are not official reserves, but nearly any kind of anthropogenic disturbance is prohibited, says Vedenin. Consequently a many of organisms that are otherwise uncommon or decreasing, such as the cod fish, are prospering.

Future Issues

Wherever armed conflict has occurred in the recent history, surrounding seas are typically littered with weapons, states Vedenin. Many millions of tonnes of dangerous substances lie in our marine environments.

The sites of these munitions are poorly recorded, in part because of national borders, restricted military information and the reality that archives are hidden in historical records. They create an detonation and security hazard, as well as danger from the persistent leakage of poisonous compounds.

As Germany and different states begin extracting these artifacts, researchers plan to safeguard the ecosystems that have developed nearby. In the Lübeck Bay munitions are already being cleared.

Researchers recommend substitute these iron structures left from munitions with certain more secure, various harmless objects, like maybe concrete structures, says Vedenin.

He presently wishes that what occurs in the Bay of Lübeck creates a precedent for replacing habitats after weapon clearance elsewhere – because even the most damaging explosives can become framework for marine organisms.