Nazi Bombs, Torpedo Heads and Naval Mines: How Ocean Creatures Thrives on Abandoned Armaments

In the brackish sea off the German shoreline lies a collection of Nazi bombs, torpedoes and mines. Dumped from barges at the end of the World War II and neglected, countless weapons have become matted together over the years. They comprise a rusting carpet on the low-depth, silty seafloor of the Lübeck Bay in the western part of the Baltic Sea.

Over the decades, the wartime weapons was ignored and neglected. A increasing amount of visitors traveled to the sandy beaches and tranquil sea for jetskiing, kiteboarding and entertainment venues. Underwater, the weapons deteriorated.

Researchers expected to see a barren area, with no life because it was all poisoned, says Andrey Vedenin.

When the first scientists went investigating to see what they were affecting to the ecosystem, some of us thought they would find a lifeless zone, with no organisms because it was all contaminated, says the lead researcher.

What they discovered surprised them. Vedenin recalls his colleagues shouting with surprise when the submersible first transmitted footage. This was a remarkable experience, he says.

Thousands of ocean life had established habitats on the weapons, developing a revitalized habitat richer than the seabed surrounding it.

This ocean community was evidence to the resilience of life. Indeed remarkable how much marine organisms we find in places that are supposed to be toxic and harmful, he states.

In excess of 40 sea stars had piled on to one exposed piece of TNT. They were dwelling on metal shells, fuse pockets and transport cases just centimetres from its volatile core. Marine fish, crabs, sea anemones and mussels were all observed on the discarded explosives. You could compare it with a marine reef in terms of the amount of animal life that was present, notes Vedenin.

Surprising Creature Concentration

An average of more than 40,000 animals were residing on every square metre of the weapons, scientists wrote in their paper on the observation. The surrounding area was much sparser, with only 8,000 individuals on every meter squared.

It is ironic that things that are intended to kill all life are hosting so much marine organisms, says Vedenin. You can see how nature adapts after a major disaster such as the second world war and how, in certain respects, marine life returns to the most risky locations.

Man-made Features as Marine Environments

Artificial constructions such as sunken vessels, offshore windfarms, oil rigs and undersea pipes can create substitutes, compensating for some of the removed habitat. This research demonstrates that munitions could be similarly advantageous – the proliferation of life on those in the Lübeck Bay is likely to be duplicated elsewhere.

Between 1946 and the post-war period, 1.6 million tons of munitions were disposed of off the German shoreline. Thousands of individuals loaded them in vessels; some were deposited in specific areas, the remainder just thrown overboard en route. This is the initial instance researchers have documented how ocean organisms has reacted.

Worldwide Examples of Ocean Adaptation

• In the US, retired energy installations have turned into marine habitats
• Sunken ships from the first world war have become homes for creatures along the Potomac in the state of Maryland
• Military vehicle parts that have become habitat to reef-building organisms off Asan beach in the Pacific island

These locations become even more crucial for wildlife as the marine environments are increasingly stripped by fishing, seafloor dredging and boat mooring. Sunken ships and weapons dump sites effectively serve as protected areas – they are not official reserves, but almost any kind of human activity is prohibited, says Vedenin. Consequently a numerous of species that are typically scarce or diminishing, such as the cod fish, are prospering.

Future Issues

Anywhere military conflict has occurred in the recent history, adjacent waters are usually containing munitions, states Vedenin. Millions of tonnes of volatile compounds rest in our oceans.

The locations of these munitions are insufficiently recorded, partly because of national borders, classified armed forces records and the fact that records are hidden in historic archives. They pose an detonation and safety hazard, as well as danger from the ongoing leakage of toxic chemicals.

As Germany and other countries start removing these remains, researchers hope to safeguard the habitats that have formed around them. In the Lübeck Bay explosives are presently being cleared.

Researchers recommend replace these iron structures originating from weapons with some more secure, various non-dangerous materials, like possibly concrete structures, says Vedenin.

He currently hopes that what transpires in the Bay of Lübeck establishes a example for replacing structures after munitions removal in other locations – because even the most destructive explosives can become scaffolding for new life.