Nazi Munitions, Torpedo Heads and Naval Mines: How Ocean Creatures Thrives on Discarded Armaments

In the brackish waters off the Germany's shoreline rests a graveyard of Nazi bombs, torpedoes and mines. Discarded from barges at the end of the second world war and neglected, countless munitions have fused into clusters over the years. They form a decaying carpet on the shallow, silty seafloor of the Bay of Lübeck in the western tip of the Baltic Sea.

Over the years, the Nazi arsenal was ignored and forgotten about. A increasing amount of visitors flocked to the sandy beaches and calm waters for jetskiing, kite surfing and amusement parks. Underwater, the weapons decayed.

Some of us thought to see a lifeless zone, with nothing living there because it was all toxic, states Andrey Vedenin.

When the initial researchers went looking to see what they were affecting to the marine environment, some of us thought they would find a lifeless zone, with nothing living there because it was all contaminated, says a scientist.

What they found surprised them. Vedenin recounts his colleagues reacting with shock when the submersible first relayed pictures. It was a great moment, he says.

Countless of marine animals had established habitats among the munitions, developing a revitalized ecosystem more populous than the sea floor nearby.

This marine city was testament to the resilience of life. Truly surprising how much life we observe in locations that are expected to be toxic and harmful, he states.

Over 40 sea stars had gathered on to one visible chunk of explosive material. They were dwelling on steel casings, detonator compartments and carrying containers just centimetres from its dangerous content. Marine fish, crabs, sea anemones and mussels were all found on the old munitions. It resembles a marine reef in terms of the amount of creatures that was present, notes Vedenin.

Surprising Creature Concentration

An mean of more than forty thousand creatures were living on every square metre of the weapons, researchers documented in their paper on the observation. The adjacent region was much poorer in life, with only 8,000 organisms on every square metre.

It is paradoxical that objects that are intended to destroy all life are hosting so much life, says Vedenin. It's evident how the natural world adapts after a devastating occurrence such as the second world war and how, in some way, marine life finds its way to the most hazardous places.

Artificial Features as Marine Environments

Artificial constructions such as shipwrecks, wind turbines, oil rigs and pipelines can create substitutes, replacing some of the removed marine environment. This study shows that explosives could be comparably positive – the proliferation of marine organisms on those in the Bay of Lübeck is likely to be repeated elsewhere.

Between 1946 and 1948, 1.6 million tons of weapons were discarded off the German shoreline. Numerous of people loaded them in vessels; some were deposited in designated locations, others just thrown overboard while traveling. This is the first time experts have documented how marine life has reacted.

Worldwide Instances of Ocean Transformation

• In the United States, retired oil and gas structures have become coral reefs
• Sunken ships from the World War I have become homes for wildlife along the Potomac in Maryland
• Tank tracks that have become habitat to coral off Asan in Guam

These places become even more valuable for organisms as the seas are increasingly stripped by fishing, seafloor dredging and anchoring. Sunken ships and explosive disposal locations practically function as refuges – they are not official reserves, but almost any kind of anthropogenic disturbance is restricted, says Vedenin. Consequently a many of organisms that are usually scarce or declining, such as the Baltic cod, are flourishing.

Coming Issues

Anywhere armed conflict has happened in the last century, adjacent waters are usually containing explosives, explains Vedenin. Millions of tons of dangerous substances lie in our seas.

The locations of these explosives are insufficiently documented, partly because of national borders, classified armed forces records and the reality that records are stored in old files. They pose an explosion and safety hazard, as well as threat from the ongoing leakage of toxic chemicals.

As the German government and different states embark on removing these remains, experts hope to safeguard the marine communities that have established in their vicinity. In the Bay of Lübeck munitions are currently being cleared.

Researchers recommend replace these metal carcasses left from weapons with certain safer, various harmless materials, like possibly concrete structures, suggests Vedenin.

He currently wishes that what transpires in Lübeck creates a example for substituting habitats after weapon clearance in different areas – because even the most damaging armaments can become framework for marine organisms.