Nazi Bombs, Torpedoes and Naval Mines: How Ocean Creatures Prosper on Abandoned Weapons

In the slightly salty waters off the Germany's shoreline lies a graveyard of Nazi bombs, torpedo heads and mines. Thrown off boats at the conclusion of the World War II and left behind, countless weapons have accumulated over the decades. They create a rusting carpet on the low-depth, silty seafloor of the Bay of Lübeck in the western tip of the Baltic Sea.

Over the decades, the wartime weapons was overlooked and neglected. A growing number of tourists came to the coastal areas and calm waters for jetskiing, kite surfing and entertainment venues. Beneath the surface, the munitions eroded.

Some of us expected to see a desert, with nothing living there because it was all toxic, states Andrey Vedenin.

When the first scientists went searching to see what they were doing to the marine environment, the team thought they would find a barren area, with nothing living there because it was all contaminated, says the lead researcher.

What they discovered amazed them. Vedenin remembers his scientists exclaiming in amazement when the underwater vehicle first relayed pictures. It was a memorable occasion, he notes.

Numerous of marine animals had made their homes amid the munitions, creating a revitalized marine community richer than the ocean bottom surrounding it.

This ocean community was evidence to the tenacity of marine life. Indeed remarkable how much marine organisms we discover in locations that are considered toxic and risky, he says.

Over 40 sea stars had piled on to one visible chunk of TNT. They were living on iron containers, detonator compartments and storage boxes just a short distance from its explosive filling. Fish, crustaceans, anemones and bivalves were all observed on the old munitions. You could compare it with a marine reef in terms of the abundance of animal life that was there, notes Vedenin.

Unexpected Creature Concentration

An average of more than 40,000 animals were residing on every square metre of the weapons, scientists reported in their study on the observation. The nearby seabed was much less diverse, with only eight thousand creatures on every square metre.

It is paradoxical that things that are intended to eliminate everything are hosting so much life, states Vedenin. One can observe 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 dangerous areas.

Man-made Structures as Ocean Habitats

Man-made structures such as sunken vessels, offshore windfarms, oil rigs and pipelines can provide replacements, restoring some of the destroyed habitat. This investigation reveals that munitions could be equally positive – the proliferation of marine organisms on those in the Bay of Lübeck is likely to be repeated in other locations.

Between 1946 and 1948, 1.6 million tons of arms were discarded off the German shoreline. Countless of workers transported them in barges; some were placed in designated sites, others just thrown overboard while traveling. This is the initial instance scientists have studied how ocean organisms has adapted.

Worldwide Examples of Marine Adaptation

• In the US, decommissioned energy installations have turned into marine habitats
• Sunken ships from the World War I have become environments for wildlife 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 fishing, bottom trawling and anchoring. Sunken ships and weapons dump sites practically serve as refuges – they are not national parks, but virtually any kind of human activity is prohibited, explains Vedenin. Consequently a many of marine species that are otherwise uncommon or declining, such as the Baltic cod, are prospering.

Future Issues

Wherever armed conflict has occurred in the past 100 years, nearby oceans are usually strewn with weapons, explains Vedenin. Many millions of tons of volatile compounds lie in our seas.

The sites of these munitions are poorly recorded, partly because of national borders, restricted armed forces records and the fact that archives are buried in old files. They create an detonation and security risk, as well as threat from the persistent leakage of hazardous substances.

As the German government and additional nations start extracting these relics, scientists aim to protect the ecosystems that have established in their vicinity. In the Bay of Lübeck explosives are currently being removed.

Researchers recommend substitute these steel remains remaining from weapons with certain more secure, various non-dangerous materials, like perhaps man-made habitats, states Vedenin.

He now wishes that what occurs in Lübeck creates a example for replacing habitats after explosive extraction in other locations – because including the most damaging weaponry can become scaffolding for marine organisms.