World War II Bombs, Torpedoes and Mines: The Way Ocean Creatures Thrives on Discarded Weapons

In the brackish sea off the Germany's shoreline rests a graveyard of World War II explosives, torpedo heads and naval mines. Discarded from barges at the end of the second world war and forgotten about, thousands explosives have accumulated over the decades. They comprise a decaying carpet on the shallow, silty ocean floor of the Bay of Lübeck in the western part of the Baltic Sea.

Over the decades, the wartime weapons was overlooked and forgotten about. A increasing amount of tourists came to the sandy beaches and calm waters for jetskiing, kite surfing and entertainment venues. Beneath the surface, the munitions deteriorated.

Researchers anticipated to see a desert, with no life because it was all poisoned, explains Andrey Vedenin.

When the initial researchers went looking to see what they were doing to the ecosystem, some of us expected to see a lifeless zone, with no life because it was all toxic, states a scientist.

What they observed surprised them. Vedenin recounts his colleagues reacting with shock when the ROV first relayed pictures. That moment was a great moment, he recalls.

Countless of ocean life had settled among the munitions, creating a regenerated habitat richer than the ocean bottom nearby.

This ocean community was testament to the persistence of life. It is actually remarkable how much marine organisms we find in places that are supposed to be toxic and dangerous, he explains.

More than 40 starfish had gathered on to one visible piece of explosive material. They were residing on metal shells, ignition chambers and transport cases just centimetres from its dangerous content. Marine fish, crabs, anemones and mussels were all observed on the discarded explosives. It's similar to a marine reef in terms of the amount of animal life that was inhabiting the area, says Vedenin.

Unexpected Population Density

An average of more than 40,000 animals were dwelling on every square metre of the explosives, researchers documented in their paper on the finding. The surrounding area was much less diverse, with only 8,000 individuals on every meter squared.

It is surprising that objects that are meant to kill everything are drawing so much marine organisms, explains Vedenin. It's evident how nature adapts after a catastrophic event such as the second world war and how, in certain respects, marine life establishes itself to the most dangerous areas.

Artificial Structures as Ocean Environments

Man-made structures such as sunken vessels, wind turbines, oil rigs and undersea pipes can provide alternatives, replacing some of the removed marine environment. This investigation reveals that weapons could be comparably beneficial – the bloom of life on those in the Bay of Lübeck is likely to be repeated elsewhere.

Between 1946 and 1948, 1.6 million tons of weapons were dumped off the German coast. Thousands of people placed them in vessels; some were placed in specific locations, the remainder just discarded at sea while traveling. This is the initial instance experts have documented how marine life has adapted.

Worldwide Examples of Ocean Transformation

• In the United States, decommissioned drilling platforms have turned into coral reefs
• Submerged vessels from the World War I have become homes for marine life along the Potomac in the state of Maryland
• Tank tracks that have become habitat to coral off Asan beach in Guam

These areas become even more crucial for wildlife as the oceans are increasingly denuded by fishing, bottom trawling and anchoring. Sunken ships and munitions areas essentially function as protected areas – they are not official reserves, but almost any kind of anthropogenic disturbance is prohibited, says Vedenin. Consequently a many of organisms that are typically rare or decreasing, such as the Baltic cod, are prospering.

Future Factors

Anywhere military conflict has taken place in the recent history, adjacent waters are usually littered with munitions, says Vedenin. Millions of tonnes of explosive material lie in our seas.

The locations of these munitions are insufficiently documented, in part because of international boundaries, restricted defense data and the situation that archives are hidden in old files. They create an detonation and safety risk, as well as risk from the ongoing leakage of toxic chemicals.

As the German government and additional nations start clearing these relics, scientists aim to safeguard the habitats that have developed nearby. In the Lübeck Bay weapons are already being cleared.

We should replace these metal carcasses left from munitions with certain safer, various harmless objects, like perhaps concrete structures, suggests Vedenin.

He now hopes that what happens in Lübeck sets a precedent for substituting habitats after munitions removal elsewhere – because even the most harmful weaponry can become foundation for new life.