World War II Munitions, Torpedo Heads and Mines: The Way Ocean Creatures Flourishes on Abandoned Weapons

In the brackish sea off the Germany's shoreline rests a collection of World War II explosives, torpedoes and naval mines. Discarded from boats at the conclusion of the World War II and forgotten about, countless explosives have fused into clusters over the decades. They form a rusting carpet on the shallow, silty seafloor of the Bay of Lübeck in the western part of the Baltic Sea.

Over the years, the explosive stockpile was ignored and neglected. A increasing amount of tourists traveled to the coastal areas and tranquil sea for water sports, kite surfing and entertainment venues. Beneath the surface, the weapons decayed.

Some of us expected to see a barren area, with no organisms because it was all poisoned, says the lead researcher.

When the team went searching to see what they were affecting to the ecosystem, researchers expected to see a barren area, with no organisms because it was all poisoned, explains a scientist.

What they discovered surprised them. Vedenin remembers his colleagues shouting with surprise when the submersible first relayed pictures. It was a remarkable experience, he says.

Numerous of sea creatures had established habitats on the weapons, developing a regenerated habitat richer than the sea floor surrounding it.

This underwater metropolis was proof to the persistence of life. Truly remarkable how much marine organisms we find in locations that are considered toxic and harmful, he says.

Over 40 sea stars had piled on to one visible fragment of explosive material. They were living on metal shells, fuse pockets and storage boxes just centimetres from its dangerous content. Fish, crustaceans, anemones and mussels were all found on the discarded explosives. You could compare it with a marine reef in terms of the abundance of creatures that was inhabiting the area, states Vedenin.

Unexpected Population Density

An mean of more than 40,000 organisms were residing on every square metre of the munitions, experts documented in their research on the observation. The surrounding area was much poorer in life, with only 8,000 organisms on every meter squared.

It is surprising that objects that are meant to destroy all life are attracting so much marine organisms, says Vedenin. You can see how the natural world adapts after a major disaster such as the second world war and how, in some way, life finds its way to the most hazardous places.

Man-made Structures as Ocean Habitats

Man-made features such as shipwrecks, offshore windfarms, drilling platforms and pipelines can provide replacements, compensating for some of the removed marine environment. This research reveals that munitions could be similarly advantageous – the proliferation of marine organisms on those in the Lübeck Bay is probable to be duplicated in different areas.

Between 1946 and the post-war period, 1.6m tons of weapons were discarded off the Germany's shoreline. Countless of people placed them in boats; some were deposited in designated sites, others just thrown overboard during transport. This is the first time researchers have studied how marine life has responded.

Global Examples of Marine Transformation

• In the US, decommissioned drilling platforms have turned into marine habitats
• Submerged vessels from the World War I have become environments for wildlife along the Potomac River in Maryland
• Tank tracks that have become environment to coral off Asan beach in Guam

These areas become even more valuable for wildlife as the seas are increasingly depleted by commercial fishing, seafloor dredging and boat mooring. Shipwrecks and explosive disposal locations essentially act as refuges – they are not national parks, but nearly any kind of anthropogenic disturbance is prohibited, explains Vedenin. Therefore a lot of organisms that are typically rare or decreasing, such as the cod fish, are flourishing.

Future Considerations

Wherever armed conflict has taken place in the last century, adjacent waters are usually strewn with explosives, states Vedenin. Many millions of tons of dangerous substances rest in our seas.

The positions of these explosives are inadequately recorded, in part because of international boundaries, restricted armed forces records and the reality that records are buried in historic archives. They pose an detonation and security danger, as well as threat from the persistent emission of hazardous substances.

As the German government and different states embark on clearing these artifacts, scientists hope to protect the habitats that have established around them. In the Bay of Lübeck explosives are presently being cleared.

Researchers recommend replace these metal carcasses left from weapons with certain safer, various harmless objects, like possibly man-made habitats, suggests Vedenin.

He now wishes that what transpires in Lübeck creates a model for replacing habitats after munitions removal in different areas – because including the most destructive armaments can become scaffolding for marine organisms.