Nazi Explosives, Torpedoes and Mines: How Ocean Creatures Prosper on Abandoned Armaments

In the brackish waters off the German coast rests a wasteland of Nazi bombs, torpedoes and mines. Thrown off barges at the conclusion of the World War II and neglected, numerous munitions have become matted together over the decades. They comprise a corroding carpet on the low-depth, muddy ocean floor of the Lübeck Bay in the western part of the Baltic Sea.

Over the years, the Nazi arsenal was ignored and neglected. A growing number of visitors flocked to the coastal areas and calm waters for jetskiing, kite surfing and amusement parks. Below the waves, the weapons decayed.

Some of us expected to see a lifeless zone, with no life because it was all contaminated, states the lead researcher.

When the initial researchers went looking to see what they were affecting to the marine environment, the team anticipated finding a lifeless zone, with nothing living there because it was all poisoned, explains a scientist.

What they found surprised them. Vedenin recounts his team members reacting with shock when the underwater vehicle first relayed pictures. That moment was a great moment, he notes.

Thousands of marine animals had settled among the munitions, creating a revitalized marine community richer than the sea floor surrounding it.

This underwater metropolis was evidence to the resilience of life. It is actually astonishing how much marine organisms we discover in locations that are expected to be dangerous and dangerous, he says.

More than 40 sea stars had clustered on to one visible fragment of explosive material. They were dwelling on metal shells, fuse pockets and storage boxes just centimetres from its explosive filling. Marine fish, crabs, anemones and mussels were all discovered on the old munitions. It resembles a reef ecosystem in terms of the amount of animal life that was present, notes Vedenin.

Unexpected Population Density

An average of more than 40,000 creatures were residing on every meter squared of the explosives, researchers documented in their research on the finding. The surrounding area was much sparser, with only eight thousand individuals on every meter squared.

It is ironic that items that are intended to eliminate everything are attracting so much marine organisms, states Vedenin. You can see how the natural world evolves after a major disaster such as the World War II and how, in certain respects, life returns to the most hazardous places.

Artificial Structures as Ocean Habitats

Man-made constructions such as shipwrecks, wind turbines, oil rigs and pipelines can offer substitutes, compensating for some of the removed marine environment. This research reveals that weapons could be equally beneficial – the explosion of life on those in the Lübeck Bay is probable to be found in other locations.

Between 1946 and 1948, 1.6 million tons of munitions were dumped off the Germany's coast. Thousands of individuals loaded them in boats; some were placed in designated areas, others just dumped while traveling. This is the initial instance experts have recorded how marine life has reacted.

Worldwide Examples of Marine Adaptation

• In the US, decommissioned energy installations have transformed into coral reefs
• Shipwrecks from the first world war have become environments for creatures along the Potomac in the state of Maryland
• Tank tracks that have become home to coral off Asan in Guam

These places become even more important for marine life as the seas are increasingly denuded by commercial fishing, seafloor dredging and anchoring. Sunken ships and munitions areas effectively function as sanctuaries – they are not official reserves, but almost any kind of anthropogenic disturbance is restricted, explains Vedenin. Therefore a many of organisms that are typically uncommon or declining, such as the cod fish, are prospering.

Coming Factors

Anywhere armed conflict has happened in the past 100 years, surrounding seas are often littered with weapons, explains Vedenin. Many millions of tons of explosive material rest in our marine environments.

The sites of these weapons are insufficiently documented, in part because of national borders, restricted military information and the fact that documents are stored in historical records. They pose an explosion and security hazard, as well as threat from the continuous leakage of toxic chemicals.

As Germany and other countries begin clearing these relics, researchers aim to preserve the ecosystems that have developed in their vicinity. In the Bay of Lübeck explosives are presently being extracted.

It would be wise to substitute these metal carcasses left from munitions with some more secure, some safe materials, like maybe artificial reefs, suggests Vedenin.

He now hopes that what transpires in Lübeck creates a example for replacing material after explosive extraction in other locations – because also the most harmful explosives can become foundation for marine organisms.