World War II Munitions, Torpedoes and Naval Mines: The Way Ocean Creatures Thrives on Discarded Weapons

In the slightly salty sea off the German coast sits a collection of World War II explosives, torpedoes and naval mines. Dumped from boats at the conclusion of the World War II and forgotten about, thousands weapons have become matted together over the decades. They comprise a corroding carpet on the low-depth, muddy seafloor of the Bay of Lübeck in the western part of the Baltic.

Over the decades, the explosive stockpile was overlooked and neglected. A growing number of visitors came to the sandy beaches and calm waters for water sports, kite surfing and amusement parks. Beneath the surface, the weapons eroded.

Some of us thought to see a desert, with no organisms because it was all toxic, states a scientist.

When the team went investigating to see what they were doing to the ecosystem, the team thought they would find a desert, with no life because it was all contaminated, says Andrey Vedenin.

What they found astonished them. Vedenin recalls his team members reacting with shock when the ROV first sent the images back. It was a great moment, he says.

Countless of ocean life had established habitats on the weapons, creating a regenerated ecosystem richer than the seabed surrounding it.

This ocean community was testament to the tenacity of marine life. Indeed remarkable how much marine organisms we observe in places that are supposed to be dangerous and risky, he says.

Over 40 starfish had gathered on to one visible chunk of explosive material. They were dwelling on metal shells, fuse pockets and carrying containers just a short distance from its explosive filling. Fish, crabs, sea anemones and mussels were all found on the discarded explosives. It resembles a coral reef in terms of the abundance of fauna that was there, says Vedenin.

Surprising Population Density

An average of more than forty thousand creatures were residing on every square metre of the munitions, scientists wrote in their paper on the observation. The adjacent region was much poorer in life, with only eight thousand creatures on every square metre.

It is paradoxical that things that are intended to kill all life are attracting so much marine organisms, explains Vedenin. One can observe how the natural world adjusts after a major disaster such as the second world war and how, in some way, life finds its way to the most risky areas.

Man-made Structures as Marine Environments

Man-made structures such as sunken vessels, wind turbines, oil rigs and undersea pipes can create alternatives, compensating for some of the lost habitat. This study reveals that weapons could be equally positive – the explosion of marine organisms on those in the Bay of Lübeck is likely to be duplicated in other locations.

Between 1946 and 1948, 1.6m tonnes of weapons were discarded off the Germany's coast. Thousands of people transported them in boats; a portion were dropped in allocated sites, the remainder just discarded at sea while traveling. This is the first time scientists have recorded how marine life has responded.

Global Instances of Ocean Adaptation

• In the US, decommissioned oil and gas structures have transformed into reef ecosystems
• Shipwrecks from the first world war have become habitats for wildlife along the Potomac in the state of Maryland
• Military vehicle parts that have become environment to coral off Asan beach in Guam

These locations become even more crucial for organisms as the oceans are increasingly stripped by commercial fishing, bottom trawling and anchoring. Shipwrecks and weapons dump sites essentially serve as protected areas – they are not national parks, but virtually any kind of anthropogenic disturbance is restricted, says Vedenin. Therefore a many of organisms that are usually uncommon or diminishing, such as the cod fish, are flourishing.

Coming Considerations

Anywhere warfare has occurred in the recent history, nearby oceans are often containing explosives, states Vedenin. Many millions of tonnes of explosive material rest in our seas.

The locations of these weapons are inadequately recorded, partially because of national borders, classified military information and the situation that archives are stored in historical records. They create an detonation and safety risk, as well as threat from the persistent emission of toxic chemicals.

As Germany and other countries embark on clearing these relics, researchers aim to preserve the habitats that have established in their vicinity. In the Bay of Lübeck explosives are presently being cleared.

We should substitute these metal carcasses originating from munitions with some less dangerous, some safe objects, like perhaps concrete structures, states Vedenin.

He currently hopes that what transpires in Lübeck sets a model for replacing habitats after explosive extraction in different areas – because even the most destructive explosives can become scaffolding for ocean ecosystems.