World War II Bombs, Torpedoes and Mines: How Ocean Creatures Thrives on Abandoned Armaments

In the slightly salty sea off the Germany's shoreline sits a wasteland of World War II explosives, torpedo heads and naval mines. Discarded from boats at the end of the World War II and forgotten about, countless weapons have accumulated over the decades. They form a corroding blanket on the shallow, muddy ocean floor of the Lübeck Bay in the western part of the Baltic.

Over the years, the explosive stockpile was ignored and forgotten about. A growing number of visitors flocked to the coastal areas and tranquil sea for water sports, kite surfing and amusement parks. Underwater, the munitions decayed.

Some of us expected to see a lifeless zone, with no organisms because it was all toxic, says Andrey Vedenin.

When the first scientists went investigating to see what they were doing to the marine environment, researchers expected to see a lifeless zone, with no life because it was all poisoned, states Andrey Vedenin.

What they observed astonished them. Vedenin recalls his scientists exclaiming in amazement when the ROV first relayed pictures. That moment was a great moment, he says.

Numerous of sea creatures had established habitats amid the explosives, developing a renewed habitat richer than the seabed surrounding it.

This underwater metropolis was testament to the persistence of life. Truly astonishing how much life we find in areas that are supposed to be toxic and risky, he says.

In excess of 40 sea stars had piled on to one exposed fragment of explosive material. They were residing on iron containers, fuse pockets and transport cases just a short distance from its volatile core. Marine fish, crabs, sea anemones and bivalves were all observed on the historic weapons. You could compare it with a reef ecosystem in terms of the quantity of fauna that was inhabiting the area, states Vedenin.

Surprising Creature Concentration

An mean of more than 40,000 organisms were dwelling on every square metre of the weapons, experts reported in their study on the finding. The nearby seabed was much poorer in life, with only eight thousand organisms on every square metre.

It is surprising that things that are intended to destroy all life are attracting so much marine organisms, explains Vedenin. One can observe how nature adjusts after a devastating occurrence such as the second world war and how, in certain respects, life establishes itself to the most hazardous areas.

Artificial Structures as Ocean Environments

Man-made structures such as sunken vessels, wind turbines, oil rigs and undersea pipes can offer replacements, replacing some of the removed habitat. This study demonstrates that munitions could be equally positive – the explosion of marine organisms on those in the Lübeck Bay is probable to be repeated in other locations.

Between 1946 and 1948, 1.6m tonnes of arms were dumped off the Germany's coast. Numerous of individuals placed them in boats; a portion were placed in designated sites, others just thrown overboard en route. This is the initial instance experts have studied how ocean organisms has responded.

Global Instances of Ocean Adaptation

• In the US, decommissioned drilling platforms have turned into reef ecosystems
• Sunken ships from the first world war have become environments for creatures along the Potomac River in Maryland
• Military vehicle parts that have become habitat to reef-building organisms off Asan in Guam

These areas become even more crucial for organisms as the seas are increasingly denuded by commercial fishing, bottom trawling and boat mooring. Sunken ships and explosive disposal locations effectively function as protected areas – they are not official reserves, but virtually any kind of human activity is banned, states Vedenin. As a result a numerous of species that are usually uncommon or declining, such as the Baltic cod, are prospering.

Future Issues

Wherever military conflict has taken place in the past 100 years, adjacent waters are usually strewn with munitions, says Vedenin. Many millions of tons of explosive material lie in our oceans.

The positions of these explosives are inadequately mapped, partially because of national borders, restricted defense data and the fact that archives are buried in old files. They create an explosion and security hazard, as well as danger from the continuous emission of toxic chemicals.

As Germany and additional nations begin removing these relics, scientists hope to preserve the habitats that have formed around them. In the Bay of Lübeck explosives are currently being extracted.

It would be wise to replace these steel remains left from weapons with certain safer, some safe structures, like perhaps concrete structures, says Vedenin.

He currently aspires that what occurs in Lübeck sets a example for replacing structures after explosive extraction in different areas – because including the most harmful weaponry can become scaffolding for new life.