Nazi Explosives, Torpedoes and Mines: How Marine Life Flourishes on Dumped Weapons

In the slightly salty sea off the German coast rests a collection of Nazi bombs, torpedoes and mines. Discarded from barges at the conclusion of the World War II and left behind, countless munitions have fused into clusters over the decades. They form a corroding layer on the low-depth, muddy seafloor of the Bay of Lübeck in the western part of the Baltic.

Over the years, the explosive stockpile was overlooked and forgotten about. A increasing amount of visitors came to the sandy beaches and tranquil sea for jetskiing, kite surfing and amusement parks. Beneath the surface, the weapons decayed.

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

When the team went searching to see what they were doing to the ecosystem, researchers anticipated finding a barren area, with no life because it was all contaminated, explains a scientist.

What they found astonished them. Vedenin remembers his colleagues reacting with shock when the submersible first sent the images back. This was a great moment, he says.

Thousands of marine animals had settled among the munitions, creating a revitalized habitat richer than the ocean bottom around it.

This marine city was proof to the resilience of marine life. Indeed surprising how much life we find in areas that are supposed to be hazardous and dangerous, he states.

Over 40 starfish had piled on to one exposed piece of explosive material. They were residing on metal shells, ignition chambers and carrying containers just centimetres from its volatile core. Marine fish, crabs, sea anemones and mussels were all found on the old munitions. It resembles a marine reef in terms of the amount of fauna that was present, says Vedenin.

Surprising Population Density

An mean of more than forty thousand organisms were dwelling on every square metre of the weapons, experts reported in their study on the finding. The surrounding area was much less diverse, with only 8,000 individuals on every square metre.

It is paradoxical that objects that are designed to kill everything are attracting so much life, states Vedenin. You can see how nature adapts after a catastrophic event such as the second world war and how, in certain respects, life returns to the most dangerous locations.

Man-made Structures as Ocean Environments

Artificial structures such as sunken vessels, wind turbines, oil rigs and pipelines can offer alternatives, restoring some of the removed marine environment. This investigation shows that munitions could be similarly positive – the proliferation of life on those in the Bay of Lübeck is likely to be found in different areas.

Between the late 1940s and 1948, 1.6 million tons of arms were dumped off the Germany's coast. Thousands of individuals loaded them in boats; a portion were dropped in allocated sites, the remainder just discarded at sea during transport. This is the initial instance experts have studied how ocean organisms has responded.

Worldwide Examples of Marine Adaptation

• In the US, retired drilling platforms have turned into marine habitats
• Shipwrecks from the World War I have become homes for marine life along the Potomac River in the state of Maryland
• Tank tracks that have become home to coral off Asan beach in the Pacific island

These areas become even more valuable for organisms as the seas are increasingly depleted by fishing, seafloor dredging and anchoring. Sunken ships and weapons dump sites essentially serve as sanctuaries – they are not national parks, but almost any kind of anthropogenic disturbance is banned, states Vedenin. Therefore a numerous of organisms that are usually uncommon or declining, such as the cod fish, are prospering.

Coming Factors

Anywhere armed conflict has occurred in the last century, nearby oceans are typically strewn with weapons, says Vedenin. Many millions of tonnes of volatile compounds rest in our seas.

The sites of these weapons are inadequately documented, partially because of national borders, restricted military information and the reality that archives are stored in historic archives. They create an explosion and security risk, as well as threat from the persistent release of poisonous compounds.

As Germany and different states begin removing these relics, scientists plan to protect the marine communities that have established around them. In the Lübeck Bay explosives are presently being removed.

We should replace these metal carcasses originating from munitions with certain more secure, some non-dangerous objects, like maybe artificial reefs, states Vedenin.

He currently hopes that what occurs in Lübeck creates a model for substituting habitats after munitions removal in other locations – because even the most damaging weaponry can become foundation for new life.