🔗 Share this article World War II Bombs, Torpedo Heads and Naval Mines: How Marine Life Flourishes on Dumped Armaments In the slightly salty waters off the German coast lies a graveyard of Nazi bombs, torpedoes and mines. Dumped from barges at the end of the second world war and neglected, countless munitions have accumulated over the decades. They form a corroding layer 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 increasing amount of tourists traveled to the coastal areas and calm waters for water sports, kite surfing and entertainment venues. Beneath the surface, the munitions deteriorated. We initially anticipated to see a lifeless zone, with no life because it was all toxic, explains the lead researcher. When the team went investigating to see what they were doing to the ecosystem, the team expected to see a lifeless zone, with no life because it was all contaminated, explains Andrey Vedenin. What they observed astonished them. Vedenin recalls his scientists exclaiming in amazement when the underwater vehicle first sent the images back. It was a great moment, he notes. Countless of marine animals had established habitats on the explosives, forming a revitalized habitat denser than the sea floor surrounding it. This underwater metropolis was proof to the tenacity of life. Indeed remarkable how much life we observe in areas that are expected to be toxic and dangerous, he states. More than 40 sea stars had clustered on to one exposed piece of TNT. They were dwelling on metal shells, detonator compartments and storage boxes just a short distance from its explosive filling. Fish, crabs, anemones and bivalves were all observed on the old munitions. It resembles a marine reef in terms of the quantity of animal life that was there, says Vedenin. Remarkable Creature Concentration An average of more than 40,000 creatures were living on every square metre of the explosives, scientists reported in their research on the observation. The adjacent region was much less diverse, with only 8,000 organisms on every meter squared. It is surprising that objects that are designed to eliminate all life are attracting so much marine organisms, says Vedenin. You can see how nature adapts after a major disaster such as the second world war and how, in certain respects, life returns to the most risky areas. Artificial Structures as Ocean Environments Man-made features such as sunken vessels, offshore windfarms, drilling platforms and pipelines can create replacements, replacing some of the lost habitat. This research reveals that weapons could be similarly positive – the proliferation of life on those in the Bay of Lübeck is likely to be duplicated elsewhere. Between 1946 and 1948, 1.6 million tons of weapons were dumped off the German shoreline. Countless of people loaded them in boats; a portion were placed in allocated locations, the remainder just discarded at sea during transport. This is the first time researchers have recorded how ocean organisms has responded. Worldwide Examples of Ocean Adaptation In the US, decommissioned energy installations have turned into marine habitats Shipwrecks from the first world war have become environments for marine life along the Potomac in the state of Maryland Tank tracks that have become home to reef-building organisms off Asan beach in Guam These places become even more important for organisms as the oceans are increasingly stripped by fishing, bottom trawling and anchoring. Sunken ships and explosive disposal locations effectively serve as protected areas – they are not official reserves, but nearly any kind of human activity is restricted, states Vedenin. Therefore a many of marine species that are usually rare or diminishing, such as the cod fish, are prospering. Coming Considerations Wherever military conflict has happened in the last century, surrounding seas are typically strewn with munitions, states Vedenin. Many millions of tons of volatile compounds remain in our seas. The locations of these explosives are insufficiently documented, in part because of international boundaries, classified armed forces records and the situation that archives are stored in old files. They create an explosion and security hazard, as well as risk from the ongoing leakage of hazardous substances. As the German government and additional nations start clearing these remains, researchers hope to protect the habitats that have developed around them. In the Bay of Lübeck weapons are presently being removed. We should replace these iron structures originating from weapons with some safer, some safe objects, like possibly artificial reefs, states Vedenin. He currently aspires that what transpires in Lübeck creates a model for substituting habitats after weapon clearance in different areas – because even the most damaging weaponry can become foundation for new life.
In the slightly salty waters off the German coast lies a graveyard of Nazi bombs, torpedoes and mines. Dumped from barges at the end of the second world war and neglected, countless munitions have accumulated over the decades. They form a corroding layer 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 increasing amount of tourists traveled to the coastal areas and calm waters for water sports, kite surfing and entertainment venues. Beneath the surface, the munitions deteriorated. We initially anticipated to see a lifeless zone, with no life because it was all toxic, explains the lead researcher. When the team went investigating to see what they were doing to the ecosystem, the team expected to see a lifeless zone, with no life because it was all contaminated, explains Andrey Vedenin. What they observed astonished them. Vedenin recalls his scientists exclaiming in amazement when the underwater vehicle first sent the images back. It was a great moment, he notes. Countless of marine animals had established habitats on the explosives, forming a revitalized habitat denser than the sea floor surrounding it. This underwater metropolis was proof to the tenacity of life. Indeed remarkable how much life we observe in areas that are expected to be toxic and dangerous, he states. More than 40 sea stars had clustered on to one exposed piece of TNT. They were dwelling on metal shells, detonator compartments and storage boxes just a short distance from its explosive filling. Fish, crabs, anemones and bivalves were all observed on the old munitions. It resembles a marine reef in terms of the quantity of animal life that was there, says Vedenin. Remarkable Creature Concentration An average of more than 40,000 creatures were living on every square metre of the explosives, scientists reported in their research on the observation. The adjacent region was much less diverse, with only 8,000 organisms on every meter squared. It is surprising that objects that are designed to eliminate all life are attracting so much marine organisms, says Vedenin. You can see how nature adapts after a major disaster such as the second world war and how, in certain respects, life returns to the most risky areas. Artificial Structures as Ocean Environments Man-made features such as sunken vessels, offshore windfarms, drilling platforms and pipelines can create replacements, replacing some of the lost habitat. This research reveals that weapons could be similarly positive – the proliferation of life on those in the Bay of Lübeck is likely to be duplicated elsewhere. Between 1946 and 1948, 1.6 million tons of weapons were dumped off the German shoreline. Countless of people loaded them in boats; a portion were placed in allocated locations, the remainder just discarded at sea during transport. This is the first time researchers have recorded how ocean organisms has responded. Worldwide Examples of Ocean Adaptation In the US, decommissioned energy installations have turned into marine habitats Shipwrecks from the first world war have become environments for marine life along the Potomac in the state of Maryland Tank tracks that have become home to reef-building organisms off Asan beach in Guam These places become even more important for organisms as the oceans are increasingly stripped by fishing, bottom trawling and anchoring. Sunken ships and explosive disposal locations effectively serve as protected areas – they are not official reserves, but nearly any kind of human activity is restricted, states Vedenin. Therefore a many of marine species that are usually rare or diminishing, such as the cod fish, are prospering. Coming Considerations Wherever military conflict has happened in the last century, surrounding seas are typically strewn with munitions, states Vedenin. Many millions of tons of volatile compounds remain in our seas. The locations of these explosives are insufficiently documented, in part because of international boundaries, classified armed forces records and the situation that archives are stored in old files. They create an explosion and security hazard, as well as risk from the ongoing leakage of hazardous substances. As the German government and additional nations start clearing these remains, researchers hope to protect the habitats that have developed around them. In the Bay of Lübeck weapons are presently being removed. We should replace these iron structures originating from weapons with some safer, some safe objects, like possibly artificial reefs, states Vedenin. He currently aspires that what transpires in Lübeck creates a model for substituting habitats after weapon clearance in different areas – because even the most damaging weaponry can become foundation for new life.