Nazi Munitions, Torpedoes and Naval Mines: How Ocean Creatures Flourishes on Dumped Weapons

In the slightly salty waters off the German coast lies a collection of Nazi bombs, torpedoes and mines. Thrown off vessels at the conclusion of the World War II and forgotten about, thousands weapons have become matted together over the years. They form a corroding carpet on the low-depth, silty ocean floor of the Bay of Lübeck in the western tip of the Baltic.

Over the decades, the Nazi arsenal was overlooked and neglected. A growing number of visitors flocked to the sandy beaches and calm waters for jetskiing, kiteboarding and entertainment venues. Below the waves, the munitions deteriorated.

We initially thought to see a desert, with no life because it was all toxic, states Andrey Vedenin.

When the first scientists went searching to see what they were affecting to the ecosystem, the team thought they would find a lifeless zone, with nothing living there because it was all poisoned, says Andrey Vedenin.

What they observed amazed them. Vedenin remembers his scientists reacting with shock when the submersible first transmitted footage. That moment was a memorable occasion, he recalls.

Thousands of marine animals had made their homes among the explosives, developing a regenerated ecosystem more populous than the sea floor surrounding it.

This ocean community was evidence to the persistence of marine life. Truly remarkable how much marine organisms we observe in areas that are considered toxic and harmful, he states.

More than 40 sea stars had piled on to one visible chunk of TNT. They were dwelling on iron containers, ignition chambers and carrying containers just centimetres from its explosive filling. Marine fish, crustaceans, sea anemones and mussels were all observed on the historic weapons. It resembles a reef ecosystem in terms of the abundance of fauna that was there, states Vedenin.

Remarkable Population Density

An average of more than forty thousand organisms were residing on every square metre of the explosives, scientists reported in their research on the discovery. The adjacent region was much poorer in life, with only eight thousand creatures on every meter squared.

It is paradoxical that things that are meant to kill all life are drawing so much life, explains Vedenin. It's evident how the natural world adapts after a catastrophic event 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 pipelines can offer alternatives, restoring some of the lost habitat. This investigation demonstrates that explosives could be similarly positive – the explosion of life on those in the Bay of Lübeck is expected to be duplicated elsewhere.

Between 1946 and 1948, 1.6m tons of munitions were dumped off the German coast. Countless of people placed them in barges; some were placed in designated sites, the remainder just discarded at sea en route. This is the initial instance experts have studied how ocean organisms has adapted.

Worldwide Instances of Ocean Transformation

• In the US, retired oil and gas structures have transformed into marine habitats
• Sunken ships from the first world war have become habitats for creatures along the Potomac River in Maryland
• Military vehicle parts that have become home to reef-building organisms off Asan beach in Guam

These areas become even more valuable for wildlife as the oceans are increasingly stripped by fishing, seafloor dredging and boat mooring. Shipwrecks and munitions areas practically serve as protected areas – they are not national parks, but nearly any kind of human activity is prohibited, explains Vedenin. Therefore a lot of marine species that are typically rare or diminishing, such as the Baltic cod, are flourishing.

Coming Considerations

Wherever armed conflict has happened in the last century, surrounding seas are typically strewn with munitions, states Vedenin. Millions of tonnes of explosive material rest in our marine environments.

The locations of these weapons are inadequately documented, partially because of national borders, restricted armed forces records and the fact that records are hidden in historical records. They create an detonation and safety hazard, as well as danger from the persistent release of toxic chemicals.

As Germany and different states start extracting these relics, experts hope to preserve the ecosystems that have formed in their vicinity. In the Bay of Lübeck explosives are currently being removed.

We should replace these metal carcasses left from weapons with some less dangerous, some harmless materials, like maybe concrete structures, says Vedenin.

He currently hopes that what transpires in Lübeck creates a example for replacing material after munitions removal in other locations – because including the most harmful weaponry can become foundation for marine organisms.