Nazi Bombs, Torpedo Heads and Naval Mines: The Way Marine Life Flourishes on Discarded Weapons

In the slightly salty sea off the Germany's shoreline rests a wasteland of Nazi bombs, torpedo heads and naval mines. Dumped from barges at the end of the World War II and neglected, countless explosives have fused into clusters over the years. They create a corroding layer on the shallow, muddy ocean floor of the Bay of Lübeck in the western tip of the Baltic Sea.

Over the years, the wartime weapons was ignored and forgotten about. A growing number of visitors came to the coastal areas and tranquil sea for water sports, kite surfing and amusement parks. Below the waves, the munitions deteriorated.

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

When the team went searching to see what they were doing to the ecosystem, the team expected to see a desert, with no life because it was all contaminated, says a scientist.

What they discovered astonished them. Vedenin recalls his team members reacting with shock when the submersible first sent the images back. It was a remarkable experience, he recalls.

Countless of ocean life had settled amid the weapons, developing a regenerated marine community richer than the sea floor surrounding it.

This marine city was evidence to the persistence of marine life. Truly astonishing how much marine organisms we discover in areas that are considered toxic and risky, he says.

Over 40 sea stars had piled on to one accessible chunk of explosive material. They were residing on metal shells, detonator compartments and storage boxes just centimetres from its explosive filling. Fish, crustaceans, sea anemones and bivalves were all found on the historic weapons. It resembles a marine reef in terms of the abundance of fauna that was there, states Vedenin.

Remarkable Population Density

An mean of more than forty thousand organisms were dwelling on every meter squared of the weapons, scientists documented in their research on the discovery. The surrounding area was much less diverse, with only eight thousand organisms on every square metre.

It is surprising that items that are meant to eliminate all life are drawing so much marine organisms, states Vedenin. You can see how the natural world evolves after a catastrophic event such as the second world war and how, in some way, life establishes itself to the most risky locations.

Artificial Features as Marine Habitats

Man-made features such as sunken vessels, wind turbines, oil rigs and undersea pipes can offer alternatives, restoring some of the removed habitat. This study reveals that munitions could be similarly advantageous – the proliferation of life on those in the Bay of Lübeck is expected to be duplicated in other locations.

Between 1946 and the post-war period, 1.6m tons of arms were disposed of off the Germany's shoreline. Numerous of people placed them in vessels; some were deposited in allocated sites, others just discarded at sea during transport. This is the first time researchers have documented how ocean organisms has reacted.

Global Examples of Ocean Transformation

• In the United States, decommissioned drilling platforms have transformed into coral reefs
• Shipwrecks from the World War I have become habitats for marine life along the Potomac in Maryland
• Tank tracks that have become home to coral off Asan in the Pacific island

These areas become even more crucial for marine life as the marine environments are increasingly stripped by fishing, bottom trawling and anchoring. Shipwrecks and explosive disposal locations effectively serve as sanctuaries – they are not official reserves, but nearly any kind of human activity is banned, explains Vedenin. Therefore a lot of organisms that are usually uncommon or diminishing, such as the Baltic cod, are prospering.

Coming Considerations

Wherever armed conflict has occurred in the past 100 years, nearby oceans are typically littered with weapons, states Vedenin. Many millions of tons of dangerous substances remain in our marine environments.

The positions of these weapons are inadequately mapped, in part because of sovereign limits, restricted defense data and the reality that records are buried in historical records. They present an detonation and safety hazard, as well as danger from the ongoing release of toxic chemicals.

As the German government and different states start extracting these artifacts, researchers aim to preserve the marine communities that have established nearby. In the Lübeck Bay explosives are presently being cleared.

It would be wise to substitute these iron structures originating from munitions with some more secure, various non-dangerous objects, like perhaps man-made habitats, states Vedenin.

He presently aspires that what transpires in Lübeck sets a example for replacing material after weapon clearance in different areas – because even the most damaging armaments can become foundation for marine organisms.