🔗 Share this article Nazi Explosives, Torpedo Heads and Naval Mines: The Way Marine Life Thrives on Dumped Weapons In the slightly salty waters off the German coast sits a collection of World War II explosives, torpedoes and mines. Discarded from vessels at the end of the World War II and forgotten about, numerous explosives have accumulated over the years. They form a decaying layer on the shallow, muddy seafloor of the Bay of Lübeck in the western part of the Baltic. Over the years, the explosive stockpile was overlooked and forgotten about. A increasing amount of visitors flocked to the sandy beaches and calm waters for jetskiing, kite surfing and entertainment venues. Underwater, the weapons eroded. We initially anticipated to see a lifeless zone, with no organisms because it was all toxic, states a scientist. When the first scientists went investigating to see what they were affecting to the ecosystem, the team expected to see a barren area, with no life because it was all contaminated, explains Andrey Vedenin. What they discovered surprised them. Vedenin recounts his team members exclaiming in amazement when the underwater vehicle first relayed pictures. It was a great moment, he recalls. Thousands of marine animals had established habitats amid the weapons, creating a revitalized habitat more populous than the ocean bottom around it. This ocean community was evidence to the tenacity of life. Truly remarkable how much marine organisms we discover in locations that are expected to be hazardous and dangerous, he states. More than 40 sea stars had clustered on to one visible piece of TNT. They were dwelling on iron containers, detonator compartments and transport cases just a short distance from its dangerous content. Marine fish, crabs, anemones and mussels were all discovered on the old munitions. You could compare it with a coral reef in terms of the amount of fauna that was present, says Vedenin. Surprising Creature Concentration An mean of more than forty thousand animals were residing on every meter squared of the weapons, experts documented in their research on the discovery. The nearby seabed was much sparser, with only 8,000 creatures on every meter squared. It is ironic that items that are intended to destroy everything are hosting so much life, states Vedenin. You can see how the natural world evolves after a major disaster such as the second world war and how, in some way, marine life finds its way to the most risky places. Man-made Features as Marine Habitats Man-made constructions such as shipwrecks, wind turbines, oil rigs and pipelines can provide substitutes, restoring some of the lost marine environment. This study reveals that weapons could be similarly beneficial – the proliferation of marine organisms on those in the Bay of Lübeck is likely to be repeated in other locations. Between 1946 and 1948, 1.6m tons of arms were disposed of off the Germany's coast. Thousands of individuals transported them in barges; some were dropped in allocated sites, the remainder just dumped during transport. This is the first time researchers have documented how ocean organisms has reacted. Global Examples of Marine Adaptation In the United States, decommissioned drilling platforms have turned into reef ecosystems Submerged vessels from the first world war have become environments 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 important for organisms as the marine environments are increasingly denuded by commercial fishing, seafloor dredging and boat mooring. Sunken ships and explosive disposal locations effectively act as refuges – they are not official reserves, but virtually any kind of human activity is banned, explains Vedenin. Therefore a many of species that are usually rare or diminishing, such as the cod fish, are thriving. Future Factors Wherever military conflict has taken place in the recent history, adjacent waters are often strewn with weapons, says Vedenin. Millions of tons of volatile compounds rest in our seas. The locations of these explosives are poorly documented, partially because of international boundaries, restricted defense data and the fact that records are hidden in historical records. They pose an detonation and security danger, as well as danger from the persistent release of toxic chemicals. As the German government and other countries embark on extracting these remains, researchers plan to preserve the ecosystems that have formed in their vicinity. In the Bay of Lübeck munitions are already being cleared. We should replace these steel remains originating from munitions with certain more secure, some harmless materials, like maybe concrete structures, suggests Vedenin. He currently hopes that what happens in Lübeck creates a model for substituting structures after munitions removal elsewhere – because including the most harmful explosives can become framework for marine organisms.
In the slightly salty waters off the German coast sits a collection of World War II explosives, torpedoes and mines. Discarded from vessels at the end of the World War II and forgotten about, numerous explosives have accumulated over the years. They form a decaying layer on the shallow, muddy seafloor of the Bay of Lübeck in the western part of the Baltic. Over the years, the explosive stockpile was overlooked and forgotten about. A increasing amount of visitors flocked to the sandy beaches and calm waters for jetskiing, kite surfing and entertainment venues. Underwater, the weapons eroded. We initially anticipated to see a lifeless zone, with no organisms because it was all toxic, states a scientist. When the first scientists went investigating to see what they were affecting to the ecosystem, the team expected to see a barren area, with no life because it was all contaminated, explains Andrey Vedenin. What they discovered surprised them. Vedenin recounts his team members exclaiming in amazement when the underwater vehicle first relayed pictures. It was a great moment, he recalls. Thousands of marine animals had established habitats amid the weapons, creating a revitalized habitat more populous than the ocean bottom around it. This ocean community was evidence to the tenacity of life. Truly remarkable how much marine organisms we discover in locations that are expected to be hazardous and dangerous, he states. More than 40 sea stars had clustered on to one visible piece of TNT. They were dwelling on iron containers, detonator compartments and transport cases just a short distance from its dangerous content. Marine fish, crabs, anemones and mussels were all discovered on the old munitions. You could compare it with a coral reef in terms of the amount of fauna that was present, says Vedenin. Surprising Creature Concentration An mean of more than forty thousand animals were residing on every meter squared of the weapons, experts documented in their research on the discovery. The nearby seabed was much sparser, with only 8,000 creatures on every meter squared. It is ironic that items that are intended to destroy everything are hosting so much life, states Vedenin. You can see how the natural world evolves after a major disaster such as the second world war and how, in some way, marine life finds its way to the most risky places. Man-made Features as Marine Habitats Man-made constructions such as shipwrecks, wind turbines, oil rigs and pipelines can provide substitutes, restoring some of the lost marine environment. This study reveals that weapons could be similarly beneficial – the proliferation of marine organisms on those in the Bay of Lübeck is likely to be repeated in other locations. Between 1946 and 1948, 1.6m tons of arms were disposed of off the Germany's coast. Thousands of individuals transported them in barges; some were dropped in allocated sites, the remainder just dumped during transport. This is the first time researchers have documented how ocean organisms has reacted. Global Examples of Marine Adaptation In the United States, decommissioned drilling platforms have turned into reef ecosystems Submerged vessels from the first world war have become environments 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 important for organisms as the marine environments are increasingly denuded by commercial fishing, seafloor dredging and boat mooring. Sunken ships and explosive disposal locations effectively act as refuges – they are not official reserves, but virtually any kind of human activity is banned, explains Vedenin. Therefore a many of species that are usually rare or diminishing, such as the cod fish, are thriving. Future Factors Wherever military conflict has taken place in the recent history, adjacent waters are often strewn with weapons, says Vedenin. Millions of tons of volatile compounds rest in our seas. The locations of these explosives are poorly documented, partially because of international boundaries, restricted defense data and the fact that records are hidden in historical records. They pose an detonation and security danger, as well as danger from the persistent release of toxic chemicals. As the German government and other countries embark on extracting these remains, researchers plan to preserve the ecosystems that have formed in their vicinity. In the Bay of Lübeck munitions are already being cleared. We should replace these steel remains originating from munitions with certain more secure, some harmless materials, like maybe concrete structures, suggests Vedenin. He currently hopes that what happens in Lübeck creates a model for substituting structures after munitions removal elsewhere – because including the most harmful explosives can become framework for marine organisms.