Nazi Bombs, Torpedoes and Mines: How Marine Life Flourishes on Discarded Armaments

In the brackish sea off the Germany's coast lies a graveyard of Nazi bombs, torpedoes and naval mines. Thrown off vessels at the end of the World War II and forgotten about, countless munitions have become matted together over the years. They comprise a corroding carpet on the shallow, silty seafloor of the Bay of Lübeck in the western part of the Baltic Sea.

Over the years, the Nazi arsenal was ignored and neglected. A growing number of tourists flocked to the coastal areas and tranquil sea for jetskiing, kiteboarding and entertainment venues. Underwater, the munitions eroded.

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

When the first scientists went searching to see what they were doing to the ecosystem, the team expected to see a desert, with nothing living there because it was all contaminated, states a scientist.

What they discovered surprised them. Vedenin recounts his scientists exclaiming in amazement when the ROV first transmitted footage. It was a great moment, he notes.

Numerous of sea creatures had established habitats among the munitions, creating a renewed marine community more populous than the ocean bottom nearby.

This underwater metropolis was evidence to the tenacity of marine life. It is actually astonishing how much marine organisms we discover in areas that are considered hazardous and harmful, he explains.

In excess of 40 sea stars had piled on to one visible piece of TNT. They were dwelling on metal shells, ignition chambers and transport cases just centimetres from its dangerous content. Marine fish, crabs, sea anemones and mussels were all discovered on the old munitions. It resembles a marine reef in terms of the amount of animal life that was there, notes Vedenin.

Unexpected Population Density

An average of more than forty thousand animals were living on every square metre of the munitions, scientists documented in their research on the observation. The surrounding area was much poorer in life, with only eight thousand creatures on every square metre.

It is ironic that items that are intended to destroy all life are hosting so much life, says Vedenin. It's evident how nature adapts after a catastrophic event such as the second world war and how, in some way, life establishes itself to the most risky places.

Artificial Structures as Ocean Habitats

Man-made features such as sunken vessels, offshore windfarms, oil rigs and undersea pipes can create alternatives, replacing some of the destroyed habitat. This research reveals that munitions could be equally beneficial – the bloom of marine organisms on those in the Lübeck Bay is expected to be repeated in other locations.

Between 1946 and the post-war period, 1.6 million tonnes of weapons were disposed of off the German coast. Thousands of workers loaded them in boats; a portion were dropped in allocated locations, the remainder just thrown overboard while traveling. This is the first time scientists have documented how ocean organisms has reacted.

Worldwide Examples of Ocean Adaptation

• In the US, decommissioned drilling platforms have become coral reefs
• Shipwrecks from the first world war have become habitats for creatures along the Potomac in the state of Maryland
• Military vehicle parts that have become habitat to reef-building organisms off Asan beach in the Pacific island

These areas become even more important for wildlife as the marine environments are increasingly depleted by commercial fishing, seafloor dredging and anchoring. Sunken ships and weapons dump sites practically act as sanctuaries – they are not official reserves, but virtually any kind of anthropogenic disturbance is banned, says Vedenin. Therefore a many of species that are typically uncommon or diminishing, such as the Baltic cod, are flourishing.

Coming Factors

Anywhere warfare has taken place in the last century, surrounding seas are often strewn with explosives, states Vedenin. Millions of tons of explosive material remain in our marine environments.

The sites of these munitions are inadequately recorded, partly because of international boundaries, restricted armed forces records and the situation that archives are stored in historical records. They pose an explosion and security danger, as well as risk from the persistent leakage of toxic chemicals.

As the German government and other countries begin clearing these remains, researchers aim to protect the marine communities that have developed nearby. In the Bay of Lübeck explosives are currently being extracted.

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

He currently wishes that what transpires in the Bay of Lübeck sets a example for substituting structures after explosive extraction in other locations – because also the most harmful armaments can become foundation for new life.