Nazi Explosives, Torpedoes and Mines: How Marine Life Prosper on Abandoned Weapons

In the slightly salty sea off the Germany's shoreline lies a graveyard of Nazi bombs, torpedoes and naval mines. Discarded from barges at the end of the second world war and left behind, numerous explosives have become matted together over the decades. They create a rusting layer on the low-depth, silty seafloor of the Lübeck Bay in the western part of the Baltic.

Over the years, the Nazi arsenal was overlooked and neglected. A growing number of visitors came to the coastal areas and tranquil sea for jetskiing, kite surfing and amusement parks. Underwater, the munitions eroded.

Researchers anticipated to see a barren area, with no life because it was all contaminated, says the lead researcher.

When the initial researchers went investigating to see what they were affecting to the marine environment, the team anticipated finding a barren area, with no life because it was all contaminated, states Andrey Vedenin.

What they observed amazed them. Vedenin recounts his team members reacting with shock when the underwater vehicle first relayed pictures. It was a great moment, he recalls.

Thousands of marine animals had made their homes on the munitions, forming a revitalized habitat denser than the ocean bottom surrounding it.

This marine city was testament to the persistence of marine life. It is actually surprising how much marine organisms we observe in places that are considered dangerous and dangerous, he explains.

Over 40 starfish had clustered on to one exposed chunk of TNT. They were dwelling on steel casings, detonator compartments and transport cases just a short distance from its dangerous content. Fish, crabs, anemones and mussels were all observed on the discarded explosives. You could compare it with a coral reef in terms of the quantity of creatures that was there, notes Vedenin.

Unexpected Creature Concentration

An mean of more than 40,000 organisms were dwelling on every square metre of the explosives, scientists wrote in their study on the observation. The adjacent region was much sparser, with only 8,000 organisms on every meter squared.

It is ironic that things that are meant to kill all life are drawing so much marine organisms, states Vedenin. You can see how the natural world adjusts after a devastating occurrence such as the second world war and how, in certain respects, life returns to the most risky areas.

Artificial Structures as Ocean Habitats

Artificial features such as sunken vessels, wind turbines, drilling platforms and undersea pipes can offer replacements, compensating for some of the destroyed habitat. This study shows that explosives could be similarly positive – the explosion of life on those in the Lübeck Bay is probable to be found elsewhere.

Between the late 1940s and 1948, 1.6m tonnes of arms were discarded off the German shoreline. Countless of people loaded them in barges; some were placed in specific sites, the remainder just dumped during transport. This is the initial instance researchers have studied how ocean organisms has reacted.

Worldwide Examples of Ocean Adaptation

• In the US, decommissioned oil and gas structures have turned into coral reefs
• Submerged vessels from the first world war have become environments for wildlife along the Potomac River in Maryland
• Tank tracks that have become home to reef-building organisms off Asan in the Pacific island

These areas become even more crucial for marine life as the oceans are increasingly denuded by fishing, seafloor dredging and boat mooring. Sunken ships and explosive disposal locations essentially function as protected areas – they are not national parks, but nearly any kind of anthropogenic disturbance is restricted, explains Vedenin. Consequently a numerous of species that are typically rare or declining, such as the cod fish, are thriving.

Future Considerations

Anywhere armed conflict has taken place in the last century, adjacent waters are typically littered with explosives, says Vedenin. Millions of tonnes of dangerous substances rest in our marine environments.

The positions of these munitions are poorly documented, partly because of international boundaries, secret military information and the reality that records are buried in historical records. They present an explosion and safety risk, as well as threat from the continuous release of poisonous compounds.

As Germany and different states start clearing these remains, scientists plan to safeguard the ecosystems that have formed around them. In the Lübeck Bay weapons are presently being removed.

We should replace these metal carcasses remaining from munitions with some less dangerous, various harmless materials, like possibly man-made habitats, says Vedenin.

He now wishes that what transpires in Lübeck sets a example for substituting structures after weapon clearance in other locations – because also the most harmful armaments can become framework for marine organisms.