Nazi Bombs, Torpedo Heads and Mines: The Way Marine Life Thrives on Abandoned Armaments

In the brackish waters off the Germany's shoreline lies a graveyard of Nazi bombs, torpedo heads and mines. Discarded from barges at the conclusion of the second world war and forgotten about, thousands weapons have become matted together over the years. They comprise a rusting blanket on the low-depth, silty ocean floor of the Lübeck Bay in the western part of the Baltic Sea.

Over the years, the explosive stockpile was ignored and neglected. A increasing amount of tourists came to the coastal areas and tranquil sea for jetskiing, kite surfing and entertainment venues. Below the waves, the weapons decayed.

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

When the team went searching to see what they were doing to the marine environment, some of us thought they would find a desert, with no organisms because it was all contaminated, states the lead researcher.

What they found surprised them. Vedenin recalls his colleagues shouting with surprise when the underwater vehicle first sent the images back. This was a great moment, he notes.

Thousands of sea creatures had made their homes among the weapons, forming a regenerated habitat richer than the seabed surrounding it.

This ocean community was testament to the persistence of marine life. It is actually astonishing how much life we observe in places that are expected to be toxic and harmful, he states.

In excess of 40 starfish had piled on to one exposed fragment of explosive material. They were residing on metal shells, detonator compartments and storage boxes just centimetres from its dangerous content. Marine fish, crustaceans, anemones and bivalves were all found on the historic weapons. It resembles a coral reef in terms of the amount of creatures that was there, says Vedenin.

Remarkable Population Density

An average of more than 40,000 animals were residing on every square metre of the munitions, scientists wrote in their research on the finding. The surrounding area was much less diverse, with only 8,000 creatures on every square metre.

It is ironic that items that are meant to eliminate all life are hosting so much marine organisms, says Vedenin. It's evident how the natural world adjusts after a major disaster such as the second world war and how, in some way, marine life establishes itself to the most hazardous areas.

Man-made Structures as Marine Habitats

Man-made constructions such as shipwrecks, wind turbines, drilling platforms and undersea pipes can offer alternatives, replacing some of the lost marine environment. This investigation demonstrates that weapons could be similarly beneficial – the proliferation of life on those in the Lübeck Bay is likely to be repeated in other locations.

Between the late 1940s and the post-war period, 1.6 million tonnes of munitions were discarded off the Germany's coast. Numerous of people loaded them in boats; some were deposited in allocated areas, the remainder just thrown overboard while traveling. This is the first time researchers have studied how ocean organisms has adapted.

Global Examples of Marine Adaptation

• In the United States, retired drilling platforms have transformed into coral reefs
• Submerged vessels from the first world war have become environments for marine life along the Potomac in Maryland
• Military vehicle parts that have become environment to reef-building organisms off Asan in the Pacific island

These locations become even more valuable for organisms as the marine environments are increasingly depleted by fishing, seafloor dredging and anchoring. Sunken ships and explosive disposal locations effectively act as sanctuaries – they are not national parks, but virtually any kind of human activity is banned, states Vedenin. Consequently a many of species that are otherwise scarce or declining, such as the Baltic cod, are prospering.

Coming Issues

Anywhere military conflict has happened in the last century, adjacent waters are usually containing weapons, explains Vedenin. Many millions of tonnes of explosive material lie in our oceans.

The positions of these munitions are poorly recorded, in part because of sovereign limits, secret military information and the reality that documents are stored in historical records. They present an explosion and safety risk, as well as danger from the persistent emission of hazardous substances.

As the German government and different states begin removing these relics, experts aim to protect the habitats that have developed nearby. In the Bay of Lübeck explosives are presently being cleared.

We should replace these metal carcasses left from munitions with some more secure, various safe materials, like possibly concrete structures, states Vedenin.

He now wishes that what occurs in Lübeck creates a model for substituting material after munitions removal in different areas – because even the most harmful weaponry can become scaffolding for new life.