Nazi Explosives, Torpedo Heads and Naval Mines: How Ocean Creatures Thrives on Dumped Weapons

In the brackish waters off the Germany's coast rests a collection of World War II explosives, torpedoes and mines. Thrown off boats at the conclusion of the second world war and forgotten about, numerous explosives have become matted together over the decades. They comprise a corroding layer on the low-depth, silty seafloor of the Lübeck Bay in the western tip of the Baltic.

Over the years, the wartime weapons was ignored and forgotten about. A growing number of visitors flocked to the coastal areas and tranquil sea for jetskiing, kite surfing and entertainment venues. Underwater, the weapons deteriorated.

We initially expected to see a lifeless zone, with no organisms because it was all poisoned, explains a scientist.

When the first scientists went looking to see what they were doing to the marine environment, the team thought they would find a desert, with no organisms because it was all toxic, explains the lead researcher.

What they found astonished them. Vedenin remembers his colleagues shouting with surprise when the underwater vehicle first sent the images back. This was a memorable occasion, he says.

Numerous of sea creatures had settled on the explosives, developing a renewed habitat richer than the ocean bottom nearby.

This marine city was proof to the persistence of marine life. It is actually astonishing how much marine organisms we find in locations that are considered dangerous and harmful, he states.

More than 40 starfish had gathered on to one visible chunk of explosive material. They were living on iron containers, ignition chambers and carrying containers just a short distance from its volatile core. Fish, crabs, anemones and mussels were all found on the discarded explosives. You could compare it with a coral reef in terms of the amount of fauna that was there, notes Vedenin.

Remarkable Population Density

An average of more than forty thousand creatures were dwelling on every meter squared of the weapons, scientists reported in their paper on the observation. The nearby seabed was much sparser, with only 8,000 organisms on every meter squared.

It is ironic that things that are meant to kill everything are hosting so much life, explains Vedenin. It's evident how the natural world adapts after a major disaster such as the World War II and how, in certain respects, life establishes itself to the most dangerous areas.

Man-made Structures as Marine Habitats

Man-made constructions such as sunken vessels, wind turbines, oil rigs and pipelines can provide alternatives, replacing some of the destroyed marine environment. This research demonstrates that weapons could be comparably advantageous – the proliferation of marine organisms on those in the Bay of Lübeck is likely to be repeated elsewhere.

Between the late 1940s and 1948, 1.6m tons of weapons were disposed of off the Germany's coast. Countless of people transported them in boats; a portion were deposited in allocated locations, others just dumped during transport. This is the initial instance experts have studied how marine life has adapted.

Worldwide Examples of Marine Adaptation

• In the United States, decommissioned drilling platforms have transformed into marine habitats
• Shipwrecks from the first world war have become homes for marine life along the Potomac River in Maryland
• Tank tracks that have become home to reef-building organisms off Asan beach in Guam

These locations become even more important for organisms as the seas are increasingly denuded by fishing, seafloor dredging and anchoring. Sunken ships and munitions areas practically function as refuges – they are not national parks, but virtually any kind of human activity is restricted, says Vedenin. Consequently a many of species that are usually uncommon or diminishing, such as the Baltic cod, are thriving.

Future Considerations

Anywhere armed conflict has taken place in the last century, surrounding seas are typically containing weapons, explains Vedenin. Many millions of tons of volatile compounds remain in our oceans.

The sites of these explosives are insufficiently documented, partly because of national borders, classified armed forces records and the situation that archives are hidden in historical records. They pose an explosion and security risk, as well as risk from the persistent leakage of toxic chemicals.

As Germany and additional nations start removing these remains, experts hope to protect the habitats that have established around them. In the Bay of Lübeck explosives are currently being extracted.

Researchers recommend substitute these metal carcasses remaining from munitions with some more secure, various safe structures, like perhaps artificial reefs, states Vedenin.

He currently wishes that what transpires in the Bay of Lübeck creates a precedent for substituting structures after explosive extraction elsewhere – because also the most harmful explosives can become framework for new life.