🔗 Share this article World War II Explosives, Torpedoes and Mines: How Marine Life Flourishes on Discarded Armaments In the slightly salty waters off the German coast rests a graveyard of World War II explosives, torpedo heads and naval mines. Dumped from boats at the conclusion of the second world war and forgotten about, countless weapons have become matted together over the years. They form a decaying layer on the shallow, muddy seafloor of the Bay of Lübeck in the western tip of the Baltic. Over the decades, the Nazi arsenal was overlooked and neglected. A increasing amount of visitors traveled to the coastal areas and tranquil sea for jetskiing, kiteboarding and entertainment venues. Below the waves, the munitions deteriorated. Researchers expected to see a desert, with no organisms because it was all toxic, explains a scientist. When the initial researchers went looking to see what they were doing to the marine environment, some of us thought they would find a barren area, with nothing living there because it was all toxic, explains Andrey Vedenin. What they found astonished them. Vedenin remembers his colleagues exclaiming in amazement when the ROV first sent the images back. It was a remarkable experience, he says. Countless of ocean life had settled among the munitions, developing a regenerated habitat richer than the sea floor nearby. This ocean community was testament to the tenacity of marine life. Truly remarkable how much life we observe in areas that are considered toxic and risky, he says. Over 40 sea stars had piled on to one exposed piece of TNT. They were dwelling on steel casings, ignition chambers and transport cases just a short distance from its explosive filling. Marine fish, crustaceans, sea anemones and mussels were all discovered on the old munitions. It resembles a marine reef in terms of the quantity of fauna that was there, says Vedenin. Surprising Population Density An average of more than 40,000 animals were residing on every meter squared of the weapons, researchers wrote in their paper on the observation. The adjacent region was much sparser, with only eight thousand organisms on every square metre. It is ironic that items that are intended to kill all life are hosting so much marine organisms, states Vedenin. You can see how nature evolves after a devastating occurrence such as the World War II and how, in some way, life establishes itself to the most dangerous locations. Man-made Features as Marine Habitats Man-made constructions such as sunken vessels, offshore windfarms, oil rigs and undersea pipes can provide substitutes, compensating for some of the removed habitat. This investigation demonstrates that explosives could be similarly beneficial – the explosion of marine organisms on those in the Bay of Lübeck is expected to be found in different areas. Between the late 1940s and 1948, 1.6 million tonnes of weapons were discarded off the Germany's shoreline. Countless of individuals loaded them in barges; a portion were deposited in allocated sites, the remainder just dumped during transport. This is the initial instance researchers have recorded how ocean organisms has adapted. Worldwide Examples of Marine Adaptation In the US, retired energy installations have become coral reefs Submerged vessels from the World War I have become homes for marine life along the Potomac River in Maryland Military vehicle parts that have become habitat to coral off Asan beach in Guam These areas become even more crucial for organisms as the oceans are increasingly denuded by commercial fishing, seafloor dredging and anchoring. Shipwrecks and explosive disposal locations practically function as protected areas – they are not official reserves, but virtually any kind of human activity is banned, states Vedenin. Therefore a lot of organisms that are otherwise uncommon or decreasing, such as the Baltic cod, are flourishing. Future Factors Wherever military conflict has happened in the recent history, surrounding seas are often littered with weapons, states Vedenin. Millions of tonnes of dangerous substances lie in our marine environments. The locations of these explosives are poorly documented, partly because of international boundaries, secret military information and the situation that records are stored in old files. They create an explosion and safety hazard, as well as danger from the persistent emission of poisonous compounds. As Germany and additional nations embark on clearing these relics, scientists hope to preserve the ecosystems that have formed around them. In the Bay of Lübeck munitions are currently being extracted. It would be wise to substitute these metal carcasses originating from weapons with some less dangerous, some safe structures, like maybe concrete structures, suggests Vedenin. He presently hopes that what happens in the Bay of Lübeck sets a model for replacing structures after explosive extraction in different areas – because even the most destructive explosives can become framework for ocean ecosystems.
In the slightly salty waters off the German coast rests a graveyard of World War II explosives, torpedo heads and naval mines. Dumped from boats at the conclusion of the second world war and forgotten about, countless weapons have become matted together over the years. They form a decaying layer on the shallow, muddy seafloor of the Bay of Lübeck in the western tip of the Baltic. Over the decades, the Nazi arsenal was overlooked and neglected. A increasing amount of visitors traveled to the coastal areas and tranquil sea for jetskiing, kiteboarding and entertainment venues. Below the waves, the munitions deteriorated. Researchers expected to see a desert, with no organisms because it was all toxic, explains a scientist. When the initial researchers went looking to see what they were doing to the marine environment, some of us thought they would find a barren area, with nothing living there because it was all toxic, explains Andrey Vedenin. What they found astonished them. Vedenin remembers his colleagues exclaiming in amazement when the ROV first sent the images back. It was a remarkable experience, he says. Countless of ocean life had settled among the munitions, developing a regenerated habitat richer than the sea floor nearby. This ocean community was testament to the tenacity of marine life. Truly remarkable how much life we observe in areas that are considered toxic and risky, he says. Over 40 sea stars had piled on to one exposed piece of TNT. They were dwelling on steel casings, ignition chambers and transport cases just a short distance from its explosive filling. Marine fish, crustaceans, sea anemones and mussels were all discovered on the old munitions. It resembles a marine reef in terms of the quantity of fauna that was there, says Vedenin. Surprising Population Density An average of more than 40,000 animals were residing on every meter squared of the weapons, researchers wrote in their paper on the observation. The adjacent region was much sparser, with only eight thousand organisms on every square metre. It is ironic that items that are intended to kill all life are hosting so much marine organisms, states Vedenin. You can see how nature evolves after a devastating occurrence such as the World War II and how, in some way, life establishes itself to the most dangerous locations. Man-made Features as Marine Habitats Man-made constructions such as sunken vessels, offshore windfarms, oil rigs and undersea pipes can provide substitutes, compensating for some of the removed habitat. This investigation demonstrates that explosives could be similarly beneficial – the explosion of marine organisms on those in the Bay of Lübeck is expected to be found in different areas. Between the late 1940s and 1948, 1.6 million tonnes of weapons were discarded off the Germany's shoreline. Countless of individuals loaded them in barges; a portion were deposited in allocated sites, the remainder just dumped during transport. This is the initial instance researchers have recorded how ocean organisms has adapted. Worldwide Examples of Marine Adaptation In the US, retired energy installations have become coral reefs Submerged vessels from the World War I have become homes for marine life along the Potomac River in Maryland Military vehicle parts that have become habitat to coral off Asan beach in Guam These areas become even more crucial for organisms as the oceans are increasingly denuded by commercial fishing, seafloor dredging and anchoring. Shipwrecks and explosive disposal locations practically function as protected areas – they are not official reserves, but virtually any kind of human activity is banned, states Vedenin. Therefore a lot of organisms that are otherwise uncommon or decreasing, such as the Baltic cod, are flourishing. Future Factors Wherever military conflict has happened in the recent history, surrounding seas are often littered with weapons, states Vedenin. Millions of tonnes of dangerous substances lie in our marine environments. The locations of these explosives are poorly documented, partly because of international boundaries, secret military information and the situation that records are stored in old files. They create an explosion and safety hazard, as well as danger from the persistent emission of poisonous compounds. As Germany and additional nations embark on clearing these relics, scientists hope to preserve the ecosystems that have formed around them. In the Bay of Lübeck munitions are currently being extracted. It would be wise to substitute these metal carcasses originating from weapons with some less dangerous, some safe structures, like maybe concrete structures, suggests Vedenin. He presently hopes that what happens in the Bay of Lübeck sets a model for replacing structures after explosive extraction in different areas – because even the most destructive explosives can become framework for ocean ecosystems.