Nazi Munitions, Torpedo Heads and Naval Mines: How Marine Life Thrives on Discarded Weapons

In the slightly salty sea off the German coast sits a collection of Nazi bombs, torpedo heads and mines. Discarded from boats at the conclusion of the second world war and forgotten about, countless munitions have become matted together over the decades. They comprise a decaying carpet on the low-depth, silty seafloor of the Bay of Lübeck in the western tip of the Baltic.

Over the decades, the wartime weapons was overlooked and forgotten about. A growing number of tourists traveled to the sandy beaches and calm waters for jetskiing, kite surfing and entertainment venues. Below the waves, the weapons deteriorated.

Some of us expected to see a desert, with no life because it was all toxic, says Andrey Vedenin.

When the initial researchers went searching to see what they were doing to the marine environment, the team thought they would find a barren area, with no organisms because it was all poisoned, explains Andrey Vedenin.

What they observed surprised them. Vedenin remembers his scientists reacting with shock when the underwater vehicle first transmitted footage. That moment was a memorable occasion, he notes.

Countless of ocean life had established habitats among the munitions, developing a regenerated ecosystem denser than the sea floor around it.

This ocean community was evidence to the tenacity of marine life. It is actually remarkable how much life we observe in areas that are considered hazardous and risky, he explains.

In excess of 40 starfish had gathered on to one accessible chunk of TNT. They were living on iron containers, detonator compartments and carrying containers just centimetres from its volatile core. Marine fish, crabs, anemones and bivalves were all observed on the old munitions. It resembles a marine reef in terms of the abundance of animal life that was inhabiting the area, says Vedenin.

Surprising Population Density

An mean of more than 40,000 organisms were living on every square metre of the explosives, scientists documented in their research on the discovery. The surrounding area was much poorer in life, with only eight thousand individuals on every square metre.

It is surprising that objects that are meant to eliminate everything are drawing so much life, says Vedenin. It's evident how nature adjusts after a catastrophic event such as the World War II and how, in some way, life finds its way to the most risky places.

Man-made Structures as Ocean Habitats

Artificial structures such as shipwrecks, wind turbines, drilling platforms and pipelines can offer alternatives, restoring some of the lost marine environment. This study reveals that weapons could be similarly advantageous – the bloom of marine organisms on those in the Lübeck Bay is expected to be repeated in different areas.

Between 1946 and 1948, 1.6 million tons of weapons were dumped off the Germany's shoreline. Thousands of workers loaded them in boats; a portion were dropped in allocated locations, the remainder just discarded at sea en route. This is the initial instance experts have studied how marine life has reacted.

Worldwide Examples of Marine Transformation

• In the US, retired drilling platforms have become marine habitats
• Shipwrecks from the first world war have become homes for wildlife along the Potomac in the state of Maryland
• Tank tracks that have become habitat to coral off Asan in the Pacific island

These places become even more crucial for organisms as the seas are increasingly stripped by fishing, bottom trawling and anchoring. Shipwrecks and explosive disposal locations essentially serve as sanctuaries – they are not national parks, but virtually any kind of anthropogenic disturbance is banned, says Vedenin. Consequently a lot of organisms that are typically rare or declining, such as the Baltic cod, are prospering.

Future Considerations

Wherever warfare has taken place in the last century, nearby oceans are usually strewn with munitions, says Vedenin. Many millions of tonnes of explosive material rest in our marine environments.

The sites of these munitions are insufficiently recorded, in part because of international boundaries, classified armed forces records and the situation that archives are hidden in historic archives. They pose an detonation and safety risk, as well as danger from the ongoing release of toxic chemicals.

As Germany and different states begin extracting these artifacts, scientists plan to protect the marine communities that have formed in their vicinity. In the Bay of Lübeck munitions are already being extracted.

It would be wise to replace these steel remains left from munitions with some more secure, some safe materials, like perhaps man-made habitats, states Vedenin.

He presently hopes that what transpires in Lübeck establishes a precedent for replacing habitats after munitions removal in different areas – because also the most harmful weaponry can become framework for ocean ecosystems.