World War II Bombs, Torpedo Heads and Mines: How Ocean Creatures Flourishes on Discarded Weapons

In the brackish waters off the Germany's coast sits a collection of Nazi bombs, torpedoes and naval mines. Discarded from boats at the end of the World War II and forgotten about, countless weapons have fused into clusters over the years. They form a corroding carpet on the shallow, muddy seafloor of the Lübeck Bay in the western tip of the Baltic.

Over the decades, the wartime weapons was overlooked and neglected. A increasing amount of tourists came to the coastal areas and tranquil sea for water sports, kiteboarding and amusement parks. Below the waves, the weapons eroded.

We initially anticipated to see a lifeless zone, with no life because it was all poisoned, explains Andrey Vedenin.

When the first scientists went looking to see what they were affecting to the ecosystem, some of us anticipated finding a barren area, with nothing living there because it was all contaminated, explains a scientist.

What they observed amazed them. Vedenin recalls his scientists shouting with surprise when the underwater vehicle first sent the images back. This was a remarkable experience, he says.

Numerous of sea creatures had settled among the weapons, developing a regenerated habitat denser than the ocean bottom surrounding it.

This ocean community was testament to the tenacity of life. Indeed remarkable how much life we observe in places that are supposed to be hazardous and harmful, he explains.

More than 40 sea stars had piled on to one visible fragment of explosive material. They were dwelling on metal shells, fuse pockets and carrying containers just a short distance from its dangerous content. Marine fish, crabs, anemones and bivalves were all found on the old munitions. It's similar to a reef ecosystem in terms of the amount of creatures that was present, says Vedenin.

Unexpected Creature Concentration

An average of more than forty thousand organisms were residing on every square metre of the weapons, researchers wrote in their study on the discovery. The surrounding area was much sparser, with only 8,000 individuals on every square metre.

It is surprising that things that are intended to kill everything are attracting so much life, states Vedenin. You can see how the natural world adjusts after a major disaster such as the World War II and how, in some way, marine life returns to the most hazardous locations.

Artificial Features as Marine Habitats

Artificial structures such as shipwrecks, wind turbines, oil rigs and pipelines can offer substitutes, replacing some of the removed habitat. This research demonstrates that munitions could be similarly positive – the proliferation of life on those in the Bay of Lübeck is expected to be duplicated in different areas.

Between the late 1940s and 1948, 1.6 million tonnes of arms were dumped off the Germany's shoreline. Thousands of individuals transported them in boats; a portion were deposited in allocated areas, the remainder just thrown overboard during transport. This is the first time researchers have studied how ocean organisms has adapted.

Global Instances of Marine Adaptation

• In the US, retired oil and gas structures have become coral reefs
• Submerged vessels from the World War I have become homes for wildlife along the Potomac in Maryland
• Military vehicle parts that have become habitat to reef-building organisms off Asan in the Pacific island

These areas become even more important for wildlife as the marine environments are increasingly denuded by fishing, seafloor dredging and anchoring. Sunken ships and explosive disposal locations essentially function as refuges – they are not official reserves, but nearly any kind of anthropogenic disturbance is restricted, states Vedenin. Consequently a lot of species that are otherwise rare or declining, such as the Baltic cod, are thriving.

Future Considerations

Anywhere warfare has occurred in the last century, adjacent waters are usually littered with munitions, explains Vedenin. Millions of tons of dangerous substances lie in our oceans.

The locations of these weapons are poorly recorded, partly because of sovereign limits, secret military information and the situation that records are stored in old files. They present an detonation and safety hazard, as well as threat from the ongoing emission of toxic chemicals.

As Germany and different states begin removing these remains, scientists plan to protect the marine communities that have established nearby. In the Lübeck Bay munitions are currently being removed.

We should replace these metal carcasses originating from munitions with some safer, various harmless structures, like perhaps man-made habitats, says Vedenin.

He now hopes that what happens in the Bay of Lübeck establishes a example for replacing habitats after munitions removal in different areas – because also the most harmful armaments can become framework for marine organisms.