🔗 Share this article World War II Munitions, Torpedo Heads and Naval Mines: The Way Ocean Creatures Thrives on Abandoned Armaments In the slightly salty waters off the German shoreline sits a wasteland of World War II explosives, torpedo heads and mines. Thrown off barges at the end of the second world war and neglected, numerous munitions have become matted together over the decades. They create a rusting blanket on the low-depth, silty ocean floor of the Lübeck Bay in the western part of the Baltic. Over the decades, the Nazi arsenal was overlooked and forgotten about. A increasing amount of tourists traveled to the sandy beaches and calm waters for water sports, kite surfing and entertainment venues. Below the waves, the munitions decayed. Researchers anticipated to see a barren area, with no organisms because it was all toxic, explains Andrey Vedenin. When the team went looking to see what they were affecting to the ecosystem, some of us anticipated finding a barren area, with nothing living there because it was all toxic, explains the lead researcher. What they discovered surprised them. Vedenin remembers his colleagues exclaiming in amazement when the underwater vehicle first relayed pictures. It was a remarkable experience, he notes. Numerous of sea creatures had established habitats on the explosives, forming a renewed ecosystem more populous than the ocean bottom around it. This underwater metropolis was testament to the persistence of life. Truly remarkable how much marine organisms we observe in areas that are expected to be hazardous and dangerous, he explains. Over 40 starfish had gathered on to one visible chunk of explosive material. They were living on metal shells, ignition chambers and transport cases just a short distance from its explosive filling. Marine fish, crabs, anemones and bivalves were all observed on the historic weapons. It's similar to a marine reef in terms of the abundance of fauna that was present, states Vedenin. Remarkable Creature Concentration An average of more than 40,000 creatures were dwelling on every square metre of the weapons, researchers documented in their study on the discovery. The surrounding area was much poorer in life, with only 8,000 creatures on every meter squared. It is paradoxical that objects that are meant to destroy everything are attracting so much life, states Vedenin. You can see how nature evolves after a catastrophic event such as the second world war and how, in certain respects, marine life establishes itself to the most dangerous places. Man-made Features as Ocean Habitats Man-made constructions such as shipwrecks, offshore windfarms, drilling platforms and pipelines can create substitutes, compensating for some of the lost marine environment. This study shows that weapons could be similarly positive – the bloom of marine organisms on those in the Lübeck Bay is expected to be duplicated elsewhere. Between 1946 and the post-war period, 1.6 million tons of arms were disposed of off the German coast. Countless of individuals transported them in barges; a portion were deposited in specific sites, others just dumped while traveling. This is the first time researchers have studied how marine life has responded. Worldwide Examples of Marine Adaptation In the US, decommissioned energy installations have transformed into marine habitats Shipwrecks from the first world war have become environments for wildlife along the Potomac River in the state of Maryland Tank tracks that have become habitat to coral off Asan beach in Guam These places become even more valuable for marine life as the marine environments are increasingly stripped by commercial fishing, seafloor dredging and anchoring. Shipwrecks and explosive disposal locations practically function as protected areas – they are not national parks, but almost any kind of human activity is restricted, says Vedenin. Therefore a many of marine species that are usually scarce or diminishing, such as the cod fish, are flourishing. Coming Issues Wherever warfare has taken place in the recent history, nearby oceans are usually strewn with munitions, says Vedenin. Many millions of tons of dangerous substances remain in our oceans. The positions of these weapons are insufficiently mapped, partially because of national borders, restricted military information and the situation that documents are buried in historical records. They present an explosion and security hazard, as well as danger from the ongoing leakage of hazardous substances. As the German government and different states embark on clearing these remains, experts aim to protect the marine communities that have established in their vicinity. In the Bay of Lübeck weapons are presently being extracted. We should substitute these iron structures left from munitions with certain less dangerous, some non-dangerous objects, like perhaps man-made habitats, says Vedenin. He currently hopes that what transpires in the Bay of Lübeck creates a model for replacing structures after munitions removal in other locations – because also the most harmful weaponry can become foundation for ocean ecosystems.
In the slightly salty waters off the German shoreline sits a wasteland of World War II explosives, torpedo heads and mines. Thrown off barges at the end of the second world war and neglected, numerous munitions have become matted together over the decades. They create a rusting blanket on the low-depth, silty ocean floor of the Lübeck Bay in the western part of the Baltic. Over the decades, the Nazi arsenal was overlooked and forgotten about. A increasing amount of tourists traveled to the sandy beaches and calm waters for water sports, kite surfing and entertainment venues. Below the waves, the munitions decayed. Researchers anticipated to see a barren area, with no organisms because it was all toxic, explains Andrey Vedenin. When the team went looking to see what they were affecting to the ecosystem, some of us anticipated finding a barren area, with nothing living there because it was all toxic, explains the lead researcher. What they discovered surprised them. Vedenin remembers his colleagues exclaiming in amazement when the underwater vehicle first relayed pictures. It was a remarkable experience, he notes. Numerous of sea creatures had established habitats on the explosives, forming a renewed ecosystem more populous than the ocean bottom around it. This underwater metropolis was testament to the persistence of life. Truly remarkable how much marine organisms we observe in areas that are expected to be hazardous and dangerous, he explains. Over 40 starfish had gathered on to one visible chunk of explosive material. They were living on metal shells, ignition chambers and transport cases just a short distance from its explosive filling. Marine fish, crabs, anemones and bivalves were all observed on the historic weapons. It's similar to a marine reef in terms of the abundance of fauna that was present, states Vedenin. Remarkable Creature Concentration An average of more than 40,000 creatures were dwelling on every square metre of the weapons, researchers documented in their study on the discovery. The surrounding area was much poorer in life, with only 8,000 creatures on every meter squared. It is paradoxical that objects that are meant to destroy everything are attracting so much life, states Vedenin. You can see how nature evolves after a catastrophic event such as the second world war and how, in certain respects, marine life establishes itself to the most dangerous places. Man-made Features as Ocean Habitats Man-made constructions such as shipwrecks, offshore windfarms, drilling platforms and pipelines can create substitutes, compensating for some of the lost marine environment. This study shows that weapons could be similarly positive – the bloom of marine organisms on those in the Lübeck Bay is expected to be duplicated elsewhere. Between 1946 and the post-war period, 1.6 million tons of arms were disposed of off the German coast. Countless of individuals transported them in barges; a portion were deposited in specific sites, others just dumped while traveling. This is the first time researchers have studied how marine life has responded. Worldwide Examples of Marine Adaptation In the US, decommissioned energy installations have transformed into marine habitats Shipwrecks from the first world war have become environments for wildlife along the Potomac River in the state of Maryland Tank tracks that have become habitat to coral off Asan beach in Guam These places become even more valuable for marine life as the marine environments are increasingly stripped by commercial fishing, seafloor dredging and anchoring. Shipwrecks and explosive disposal locations practically function as protected areas – they are not national parks, but almost any kind of human activity is restricted, says Vedenin. Therefore a many of marine species that are usually scarce or diminishing, such as the cod fish, are flourishing. Coming Issues Wherever warfare has taken place in the recent history, nearby oceans are usually strewn with munitions, says Vedenin. Many millions of tons of dangerous substances remain in our oceans. The positions of these weapons are insufficiently mapped, partially because of national borders, restricted military information and the situation that documents are buried in historical records. They present an explosion and security hazard, as well as danger from the ongoing leakage of hazardous substances. As the German government and different states embark on clearing these remains, experts aim to protect the marine communities that have established in their vicinity. In the Bay of Lübeck weapons are presently being extracted. We should substitute these iron structures left from munitions with certain less dangerous, some non-dangerous objects, like perhaps man-made habitats, says Vedenin. He currently hopes that what transpires in the Bay of Lübeck creates a model for replacing structures after munitions removal in other locations – because also the most harmful weaponry can become foundation for ocean ecosystems.