Nazi Explosives, Torpedoes and Naval Mines: The Way Marine Life Thrives on Abandoned Armaments

In the slightly salty sea off the German shoreline rests a wasteland of World War II explosives, torpedoes and mines. Dumped from barges at the end of the World War II and forgotten about, countless munitions have accumulated over the years. They comprise a corroding carpet on the low-depth, muddy seafloor of the Bay of Lübeck in the western tip of the Baltic.

Over the years, the Nazi arsenal was ignored and forgotten about. A increasing amount of tourists traveled to the sandy beaches and calm waters for jetskiing, kite surfing and entertainment venues. Underwater, the munitions eroded.

Some of us expected to see a lifeless zone, with nothing living there because it was all contaminated, says a scientist.

When the first scientists went looking to see what they were doing to the ecosystem, some of us anticipated finding a lifeless zone, with no organisms because it was all contaminated, says the lead researcher.

What they observed amazed them. Vedenin recounts his team members reacting with shock when the submersible first transmitted footage. It was a memorable occasion, he notes.

Countless of marine animals had made their homes on the weapons, creating a regenerated ecosystem more populous than the seabed surrounding it.

This ocean community was testament to the persistence of life. Indeed astonishing how much life we discover in areas that are expected to be hazardous and dangerous, he says.

In excess of 40 sea stars had piled on to one visible fragment of explosive material. They were dwelling on metal shells, detonator compartments and transport cases just centimetres from its explosive filling. Marine fish, crustaceans, anemones and bivalves were all discovered on the historic weapons. It's similar to a coral reef in terms of the quantity of animal life that was present, states Vedenin.

Surprising Population Density

An average of more than forty thousand organisms were residing on every meter squared of the explosives, experts wrote in their research on the discovery. The nearby seabed was much sparser, with only 8,000 creatures on every square metre.

It is paradoxical that items that are designed to eliminate all life are attracting so much life, states Vedenin. One can observe how the natural world adjusts after a devastating occurrence such as the second world war and how, in some way, marine life establishes itself to the most dangerous locations.

Man-made Structures as Marine Habitats

Man-made constructions such as sunken vessels, offshore windfarms, oil rigs and pipelines can offer alternatives, compensating for some of the destroyed marine environment. This study reveals that weapons could be comparably positive – the explosion of marine organisms on those in the Lübeck Bay is probable to be repeated in different areas.

Between 1946 and 1948, 1.6 million tonnes of arms were dumped off the German coast. Numerous of workers transported them in vessels; a portion were deposited in allocated areas, the remainder just discarded at sea during transport. This is the first time researchers have studied how marine life has reacted.

Worldwide Instances of Ocean Adaptation

• In the United States, retired energy installations have transformed into marine habitats
• Submerged vessels from the World War I have become habitats for wildlife along the Potomac River in Maryland
• Military vehicle parts that have become habitat to reef-building organisms off Asan beach in the Pacific island

These areas become even more important for marine life as the oceans are increasingly stripped by fishing, seafloor dredging and anchoring. Shipwrecks and munitions areas essentially serve as sanctuaries – they are not national parks, but nearly any kind of human activity is restricted, says Vedenin. As a result a many of organisms that are otherwise uncommon or decreasing, such as the cod fish, are thriving.

Coming Issues

Anywhere military conflict has happened in the past 100 years, nearby oceans are typically littered with explosives, states Vedenin. Many millions of tonnes of explosive material rest in our oceans.

The locations of these weapons are insufficiently documented, partially because of national borders, classified military information and the reality that records are stored in historic archives. They present an explosion and security risk, as well as danger from the ongoing release of hazardous substances.

As Germany and additional nations begin extracting these artifacts, researchers aim to preserve the ecosystems that have established around them. In the Lübeck Bay munitions are presently being removed.

It would be wise to substitute these steel remains remaining from munitions with some safer, some harmless materials, like perhaps concrete structures, suggests Vedenin.

He presently wishes that what transpires in the Bay of Lübeck establishes a precedent for substituting material after explosive extraction elsewhere – because even the most harmful armaments can become scaffolding for new life.