World War II Explosives, Torpedoes and Mines: The Way Ocean Creatures Flourishes on Discarded Armaments

In the brackish sea off the Germany's coast sits a wasteland of Nazi bombs, torpedo heads and naval mines. Thrown off vessels at the end of the World War II and left behind, thousands explosives have accumulated over the decades. They form a decaying layer on the shallow, muddy seafloor of the Bay of Lübeck in the western tip of the Baltic Sea.

Over the years, the wartime weapons was overlooked and forgotten about. A growing number of visitors came to the coastal areas and tranquil sea for water sports, kiteboarding and entertainment venues. Below the waves, the weapons decayed.

Some of us anticipated to see a barren area, with nothing living there because it was all poisoned, explains Andrey Vedenin.

When the initial researchers went looking to see what they were affecting to the marine environment, some of us anticipated finding a desert, with no life because it was all contaminated, states Andrey Vedenin.

What they observed surprised them. Vedenin recalls his colleagues exclaiming in amazement when the underwater vehicle first sent the images back. That moment was a great moment, he notes.

Numerous of ocean life had established habitats on the explosives, developing a revitalized ecosystem denser than the ocean bottom around it.

This ocean community was testament to the persistence of life. Truly surprising how much life we observe in areas that are considered toxic and dangerous, he says.

Over 40 starfish had piled on to one accessible chunk of explosive material. They were dwelling on metal shells, detonator compartments and storage boxes just a short distance from its explosive filling. Marine fish, crustaceans, sea anemones and bivalves were all found on the old munitions. You could compare it with a reef ecosystem in terms of the abundance of animal life that was there, states Vedenin.

Remarkable Population Density

An mean of more than 40,000 animals were living on every meter squared of the explosives, scientists documented in their paper on the observation. The nearby seabed was much poorer in life, with only eight thousand organisms on every meter squared.

It is surprising that items that are designed to destroy all life are drawing so much life, states Vedenin. You can see how the natural world evolves after a major disaster such as the second world war and how, in certain respects, marine life finds its way to the most dangerous areas.

Man-made Structures as Marine Environments

Man-made constructions such as sunken vessels, wind turbines, oil rigs and undersea pipes can offer replacements, replacing some of the lost habitat. This research demonstrates that weapons could be comparably beneficial – the bloom of life on those in the Bay of Lübeck is probable to be repeated in different areas.

Between 1946 and 1948, 1.6m tons of munitions were disposed of off the Germany's shoreline. Countless of people loaded them in boats; a portion were deposited in designated locations, the remainder just dumped during transport. This is the initial instance scientists have studied how marine life has reacted.

Global Instances of Ocean Adaptation

• In the United States, decommissioned drilling platforms have transformed into coral reefs
• Sunken ships from the World War I have become environments for creatures along the Potomac River in Maryland
• Tank tracks that have become environment to reef-building organisms off Asan in the Pacific island

These areas become even more valuable for organisms as the marine environments are increasingly stripped by fishing, bottom trawling and anchoring. Shipwrecks and explosive disposal locations effectively act as refuges – they are not national parks, but virtually any kind of human activity is prohibited, explains Vedenin. Therefore a many of marine species that are usually rare or decreasing, such as the Baltic cod, are prospering.

Future Considerations

Wherever warfare has occurred in the recent history, nearby oceans are typically strewn with munitions, explains Vedenin. Many millions of tons of dangerous substances rest in our marine environments.

The sites of these explosives are insufficiently documented, partially because of international boundaries, restricted armed forces records and the reality that archives are hidden in historical records. They present an explosion and safety danger, as well as risk from the ongoing emission of hazardous substances.

As Germany and different states embark on clearing these remains, scientists plan to preserve the ecosystems that have formed around them. In the Bay of Lübeck explosives are already being extracted.

Researchers recommend replace these steel remains left from munitions with some safer, various harmless structures, like maybe man-made habitats, suggests Vedenin.

He now hopes that what occurs in the Bay of Lübeck establishes a example for replacing structures after munitions removal in different areas – because including the most damaging weaponry can become foundation for new life.