Nazi Explosives, Torpedoes and Mines: The Way Marine Life Thrives on Discarded Weapons

In the slightly salty waters off the German coast lies a collection of World War II explosives, torpedo heads and naval mines. Discarded from barges at the end of the World War II and forgotten about, numerous munitions have become matted together over the years. They form a rusting carpet on the low-depth, silty seafloor of the Lübeck Bay in the western part of the Baltic.

Over the years, the wartime weapons was ignored and forgotten about. A increasing amount of visitors came to the coastal areas and calm waters for water sports, kiteboarding and amusement parks. Beneath the surface, the munitions deteriorated.

We initially thought to see a desert, with no organisms because it was all toxic, says a scientist.

When the team went investigating to see what they were affecting to the marine environment, researchers anticipated finding a barren area, with nothing living there because it was all toxic, explains the lead researcher.

What they found surprised them. Vedenin recalls his team members exclaiming in amazement when the underwater vehicle first relayed pictures. This was a remarkable experience, he says.

Countless of sea creatures had made their homes among the munitions, forming a revitalized habitat more populous than the sea floor surrounding it.

This underwater metropolis was testament to the persistence of marine life. Indeed remarkable how much life we observe in areas that are considered toxic and dangerous, he explains.

Over 40 starfish had gathered on to one exposed fragment of TNT. They were living on metal shells, ignition chambers and transport cases just centimetres from its dangerous content. Marine fish, crustaceans, anemones and mussels were all found on the discarded explosives. You could compare it with a reef ecosystem in terms of the abundance of fauna that was inhabiting the area, notes Vedenin.

Unexpected Creature Concentration

An mean of more than 40,000 organisms were dwelling on every square metre of the explosives, scientists reported in their study on the finding. The surrounding area was much sparser, with only eight thousand organisms on every square metre.

It is ironic that things that are meant to eliminate everything are drawing so much life, explains Vedenin. It's evident how nature evolves after a catastrophic event such as the World War II and how, in certain respects, marine life returns to the most dangerous areas.

Man-made Structures as Marine Habitats

Man-made structures such as shipwrecks, offshore windfarms, drilling platforms and undersea pipes can offer substitutes, restoring some of the removed marine environment. This study demonstrates that weapons could be equally advantageous – the explosion of marine organisms on those in the Lübeck Bay is probable to be repeated in other locations.

Between 1946 and 1948, 1.6 million tonnes of munitions were discarded off the German shoreline. Thousands of people loaded them in barges; some were dropped in designated sites, the remainder just discarded at sea en route. This is the initial instance experts have documented how marine life has reacted.

Worldwide Instances of Marine Adaptation

• In the US, retired drilling platforms have become coral reefs
• Sunken ships from the World War I have become environments for marine life along the Potomac River in the state of Maryland
• Tank tracks that have become home to coral off Asan in Guam

These areas become even more valuable for organisms as the marine environments are increasingly depleted by commercial fishing, seafloor dredging and boat mooring. Sunken ships and weapons dump sites essentially act as sanctuaries – they are not official reserves, but almost any kind of human activity is prohibited, explains Vedenin. Consequently a lot of marine species that are usually uncommon or decreasing, such as the cod fish, are thriving.

Future Considerations

Anywhere warfare has occurred in the last century, surrounding seas are often containing munitions, states Vedenin. Millions of tonnes of volatile compounds lie in our marine environments.

The positions of these munitions are poorly documented, partly because of sovereign limits, secret armed forces records and the fact that documents are hidden in historical records. They create an explosion and security danger, as well as threat from the ongoing emission of toxic chemicals.

As Germany and different states embark on extracting these remains, researchers aim to protect the habitats that have formed in their vicinity. In the Lübeck Bay weapons are already being extracted.

It would be wise to substitute these iron structures left from munitions with certain more secure, various non-dangerous objects, like perhaps artificial reefs, says Vedenin.

He presently aspires that what occurs in Lübeck creates a precedent for replacing material after munitions removal elsewhere – because even the most damaging explosives can become framework for new life.