Nazi Bombs, Torpedoes and Mines: The Way Marine Life Prosper on Abandoned Weapons

In the slightly salty waters off the Germany's coast rests a collection of Nazi bombs, torpedo heads and mines. Thrown off barges at the conclusion of the second world war and neglected, numerous weapons have fused into clusters over the years. They create a decaying carpet on the low-depth, muddy seafloor of the Bay of Lübeck in the western part of the Baltic Sea.

Over the decades, the explosive stockpile was ignored and neglected. A growing number of visitors came to the sandy beaches and calm waters for water sports, kiteboarding and entertainment venues. Below the waves, the munitions deteriorated.

Some of us expected to see a lifeless zone, with no organisms because it was all contaminated, states Andrey Vedenin.

When the team went investigating to see what they were doing to the ecosystem, some of us expected to see a desert, with no organisms because it was all poisoned, states Andrey Vedenin.

What they observed astonished them. Vedenin recalls his team members shouting with surprise when the submersible first transmitted footage. That moment was a great moment, he says.

Numerous of ocean life had settled on the munitions, forming a revitalized marine community denser than the seabed surrounding it.

This underwater metropolis was evidence to the persistence of marine life. Truly remarkable how much marine organisms we observe in locations that are supposed to be dangerous and dangerous, he explains.

Over 40 sea stars had gathered on to one accessible fragment of explosive material. They were dwelling on metal shells, ignition chambers and storage boxes just centimetres from its explosive filling. Marine fish, crabs, anemones and mussels were all found on the discarded explosives. It resembles a reef ecosystem in terms of the abundance of fauna that was there, says Vedenin.

Remarkable Creature Concentration

An mean of more than 40,000 creatures were dwelling on every meter squared of the munitions, scientists documented in their study on the discovery. The nearby seabed was much less diverse, with only 8,000 individuals on every meter squared.

It is ironic that objects that are intended to destroy everything are hosting so much life, states Vedenin. One can observe how nature adjusts after a major disaster such as the second world war and how, in certain respects, marine life returns to the most dangerous areas.

Man-made Structures as Marine Habitats

Artificial constructions such as shipwrecks, offshore windfarms, oil rigs and pipelines can create substitutes, replacing some of the lost habitat. This research shows that weapons could be comparably beneficial – the bloom of life on those in the Bay of Lübeck is likely to be repeated in different areas.

Between 1946 and 1948, 1.6 million tons of arms were disposed of off the German coast. Countless of people loaded them in boats; some were placed in designated sites, others just thrown overboard during transport. This is the first time experts have recorded how ocean organisms has reacted.

Worldwide Examples of Marine Adaptation

• In the United States, retired oil and gas structures have turned into reef ecosystems
• Shipwrecks from the World War I have become environments for marine life along the Potomac in the state of Maryland
• Tank tracks that have become environment to reef-building organisms off Asan beach in the Pacific island

These places become even more crucial for marine life as the oceans are increasingly depleted by commercial fishing, seafloor dredging and anchoring. Shipwrecks and munitions areas effectively act as protected areas – they are not national parks, but virtually any kind of human activity is restricted, states Vedenin. As a result a lot of species that are otherwise uncommon or diminishing, such as the cod fish, are thriving.

Future Considerations

Wherever military conflict has taken place in the last century, adjacent waters are often littered with munitions, explains Vedenin. Many millions of tons of explosive material lie in our oceans.

The locations of these explosives are inadequately documented, partially because of international boundaries, restricted defense data and the fact that documents are hidden in historic archives. They create an explosion and safety risk, as well as threat from the ongoing release of toxic chemicals.

As the German government and different states begin clearing these remains, scientists plan to protect the marine communities that have developed in their vicinity. In the Bay of Lübeck explosives are currently being removed.

Researchers recommend substitute these metal carcasses left from munitions with some safer, various safe objects, like maybe concrete structures, suggests Vedenin.

He currently wishes that what occurs in the Bay of Lübeck establishes a precedent for substituting structures after weapon clearance in other locations – because including the most destructive armaments can become framework for new life.