World War II Bombs, Torpedoes and Mines: The Way Ocean Creatures Thrives on Dumped Armaments

In the brackish waters off the German coast sits a collection of World War II explosives, torpedoes and mines. Dumped from boats at the conclusion of the second world war and neglected, numerous weapons have become matted together over the years. They create a rusting layer on the shallow, muddy seafloor of the Lübeck Bay in the western part of the Baltic Sea.

Over the decades, the explosive stockpile was ignored and neglected. A growing number of visitors traveled to the coastal areas and tranquil sea for jetskiing, kiteboarding and amusement parks. Below the waves, the weapons eroded.

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

When the first scientists went looking to see what they were doing to the ecosystem, researchers thought they would find a barren area, with no life because it was all contaminated, says Andrey Vedenin.

What they observed amazed them. Vedenin remembers his colleagues exclaiming in amazement when the submersible first relayed pictures. This was a remarkable experience, he recalls.

Countless of marine animals had settled among the weapons, developing a regenerated ecosystem more populous than the seabed nearby.

This ocean community was testament to the tenacity of life. It is actually surprising how much marine organisms we discover in locations that are expected to be dangerous and dangerous, he explains.

In excess of 40 sea stars had gathered on to one exposed fragment of explosive material. They were residing on steel casings, ignition chambers and storage boxes just a short distance from its dangerous content. Fish, crustaceans, sea anemones and mussels were all found on the discarded explosives. It's similar to a coral reef in terms of the abundance of animal life that was there, says Vedenin.

Surprising Creature Concentration

An mean of more than 40,000 creatures were living on every meter squared of the munitions, experts documented in their research on the discovery. The adjacent region was much less diverse, with only eight thousand organisms on every square metre.

It is paradoxical that things that are intended to kill everything are attracting so much marine organisms, explains Vedenin. It's evident how nature adapts after a devastating occurrence such as the second world war and how, in some way, life finds its way to the most risky areas.

Man-made Structures as Ocean Environments

Artificial structures such as sunken vessels, offshore windfarms, drilling platforms and undersea pipes can create substitutes, compensating for some of the destroyed marine environment. This research reveals that explosives could be similarly beneficial – the explosion of life on those in the Lübeck Bay is probable to be found in different areas.

Between 1946 and the post-war period, 1.6m tonnes of munitions were discarded off the Germany's coast. Numerous of individuals loaded them in barges; some were placed in allocated locations, the remainder just thrown overboard during transport. This is the first time experts have recorded how ocean organisms has reacted.

Global Examples of Ocean Adaptation

• In the United States, retired drilling platforms have transformed into marine habitats
• Sunken ships from the World War I have become environments for wildlife along the Potomac in Maryland
• Tank tracks that have become environment to reef-building organisms off Asan in Guam

These areas become even more valuable for organisms as the seas are increasingly denuded by commercial fishing, seafloor dredging and anchoring. Sunken ships and munitions areas effectively act as sanctuaries – they are not national parks, but nearly any kind of anthropogenic disturbance is prohibited, says Vedenin. Consequently a numerous of marine species that are typically uncommon or diminishing, such as the Baltic cod, are prospering.

Future Issues

Anywhere warfare has occurred in the recent history, adjacent waters are usually littered with explosives, says Vedenin. Many millions of tons of volatile compounds remain in our marine environments.

The locations of these munitions are poorly recorded, partly because of international boundaries, classified armed forces records and the situation that documents are hidden in historical records. They present an explosion and security danger, as well as risk from the continuous release of poisonous compounds.

As Germany and additional nations embark on removing these artifacts, experts hope to protect the habitats that have established around them. In the Bay of Lübeck weapons are currently being extracted.

It would be wise to substitute these iron structures remaining from munitions with certain safer, some non-dangerous objects, like maybe concrete structures, says Vedenin.

He now wishes that what occurs in the Bay of Lübeck creates a precedent for substituting structures after munitions removal in other locations – because even the most damaging explosives can become foundation for marine organisms.