Nazi Munitions, Torpedoes and Naval Mines: How Marine Life Flourishes on Discarded Weapons

In the slightly salty sea off the Germany's coast lies a graveyard of World War II explosives, torpedoes and mines. Discarded from vessels at the end of the World War II and left behind, thousands weapons have become matted together over the years. They comprise a rusting carpet on the low-depth, muddy ocean floor of the Lübeck Bay in the western part of the Baltic.

Over the years, the wartime weapons was overlooked and forgotten about. A growing number of visitors came to the sandy beaches and calm waters for jetskiing, kiteboarding and amusement parks. Below the waves, the weapons eroded.

We initially thought to see a barren area, with no life because it was all poisoned, says the lead researcher.

When the initial researchers went searching to see what they were affecting to the ecosystem, some of us anticipated finding a barren area, with nothing living there because it was all contaminated, explains a scientist.

What they found surprised them. Vedenin recounts his colleagues shouting with surprise when the underwater vehicle first sent the images back. That moment was a memorable occasion, he says.

Countless of sea creatures had made their homes on the munitions, forming a regenerated marine community denser than the sea floor surrounding it.

This underwater metropolis was proof to the persistence of marine life. It is actually surprising how much life we find in locations that are expected to be toxic and harmful, he says.

In excess of 40 starfish had gathered on to one accessible fragment of explosive material. They were dwelling on steel casings, detonator compartments and transport cases just centimetres from its dangerous content. Fish, crabs, anemones and bivalves were all found on the old munitions. It's similar to a coral reef in terms of the quantity of fauna that was present, says Vedenin.

Surprising Creature Concentration

An average of more than forty thousand organisms were living on every meter squared of the weapons, experts documented in their research on the discovery. The adjacent region was much sparser, with only 8,000 individuals on every square metre.

It is paradoxical that items that are meant to destroy everything are attracting so much marine organisms, says Vedenin. It's evident how the natural world adjusts after a catastrophic event such as the World War II and how, in some way, marine life finds its way to the most hazardous areas.

Man-made Features as Marine Environments

Artificial features such as sunken vessels, wind turbines, oil rigs and undersea pipes can offer replacements, replacing some of the lost habitat. This research shows that munitions could be equally advantageous – the proliferation of marine organisms on those in the Bay of Lübeck is likely to be repeated in other locations.

Between 1946 and 1948, 1.6 million tons of munitions were disposed of off the Germany's shoreline. Numerous of people loaded them in boats; some were placed in specific locations, others just discarded at sea en route. This is the initial instance experts have studied how ocean organisms has reacted.

Global Instances of Marine Adaptation

• In the US, retired oil and gas structures have transformed into coral reefs
• Submerged vessels from the first world war have become environments for creatures along the Potomac River in Maryland
• Tank tracks that have become home to coral off Asan in Guam

These places become even more valuable for marine life as the seas are increasingly depleted by fishing, seafloor dredging and anchoring. Shipwrecks and weapons dump sites practically act as protected areas – they are not national parks, but virtually any kind of human activity is restricted, says Vedenin. Therefore a many of marine species that are usually uncommon or diminishing, such as the cod fish, are thriving.

Future Considerations

Wherever military conflict has taken place in the recent history, nearby oceans are typically littered with weapons, states Vedenin. Millions of tonnes of explosive material lie in our seas.

The positions of these weapons are inadequately mapped, partly because of national borders, secret military information and the situation that documents are hidden in historic archives. They present an detonation and safety risk, as well as threat from the ongoing emission of hazardous substances.

As Germany and different states start clearing these remains, researchers aim to protect the habitats that have formed in their vicinity. In the Bay of Lübeck munitions are currently being cleared.

We should replace these steel remains remaining from weapons with certain less dangerous, various harmless objects, like possibly artificial reefs, suggests Vedenin.

He now aspires that what happens in the Bay of Lübeck sets a model for replacing material after weapon clearance in different areas – because also the most harmful armaments can become framework for ocean ecosystems.