🔗 Share this article World War II Explosives, Torpedoes and Mines: The Way Marine Life Prosper on Dumped Armaments In the brackish sea off the German coast sits a graveyard of World War II explosives, torpedoes and naval mines. Discarded from boats at the conclusion of the second world war and left behind, numerous weapons have accumulated over the decades. They form a rusting layer on the shallow, muddy ocean floor of the Bay of Lübeck in the western part of the Baltic. Over the decades, the wartime weapons was ignored and forgotten about. A growing number of visitors came to the coastal areas and calm waters for water sports, kiteboarding and amusement parks. Below the waves, the weapons deteriorated. Some of us thought to see a lifeless zone, with no life because it was all contaminated, says 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 desert, with no organisms because it was all poisoned, states the lead researcher. What they discovered astonished them. Vedenin recounts his scientists reacting with shock when the underwater vehicle first relayed pictures. That moment was a remarkable experience, he notes. Thousands of sea creatures had made their homes on the munitions, forming a revitalized marine community richer than the seabed nearby. This marine city was proof to the resilience of life. It is actually remarkable how much marine organisms we discover in locations that are considered toxic and risky, he states. In excess of 40 sea stars had clustered on to one visible fragment of TNT. They were living on steel casings, detonator compartments and transport cases just a short distance from its volatile core. Marine fish, crabs, anemones and bivalves were all found on the historic weapons. It's similar to a coral reef in terms of the abundance of animal life that was present, says Vedenin. Remarkable Creature Concentration An average of more than 40,000 creatures were living on every square metre of the munitions, researchers documented in their paper on the discovery. The surrounding area was much sparser, with only 8,000 individuals on every meter squared. It is ironic that things that are designed to kill everything are attracting so much marine organisms, says Vedenin. One can observe how nature adjusts after a major disaster such as the World War II and how, in some way, marine life returns to the most risky locations. Man-made Features as Ocean Environments Man-made constructions such as sunken vessels, offshore windfarms, oil rigs and undersea pipes can provide replacements, restoring some of the removed habitat. This research shows that munitions could be similarly advantageous – the bloom of marine organisms on those in the Bay of Lübeck is probable to be repeated in different areas. Between the late 1940s and 1948, 1.6m tons of munitions were dumped off the Germany's shoreline. Countless of workers transported them in barges; a portion were deposited in designated locations, others just dumped during transport. This is the initial instance scientists have documented how ocean organisms has responded. Worldwide Examples of Marine Transformation In the United States, retired oil and gas structures have become coral reefs Sunken ships from the World War I have become homes for creatures along the Potomac in Maryland Tank tracks that have become environment to reef-building organisms off Asan in Guam These areas become even more valuable for organisms as the seas are increasingly depleted by commercial fishing, seafloor dredging and boat mooring. Sunken ships and munitions areas essentially function as protected areas – they are not national parks, but almost any kind of human activity is prohibited, states Vedenin. Therefore a lot of organisms that are otherwise rare or declining, such as the cod fish, are thriving. Future Factors Anywhere military conflict has happened in the past 100 years, adjacent waters are often littered with weapons, says Vedenin. Many millions of tonnes of explosive material rest in our seas. The positions of these explosives are poorly documented, partly because of national borders, restricted military information and the fact that documents are hidden in old files. They pose an explosion and security hazard, as well as risk from the ongoing emission of toxic chemicals. As Germany and different states start clearing these relics, experts plan to preserve the marine communities that have formed around them. In the Bay of Lübeck weapons are already being cleared. Researchers recommend substitute these iron structures remaining from munitions with some more secure, various harmless objects, like maybe concrete structures, says Vedenin. He currently wishes that what happens in Lübeck establishes a precedent for replacing habitats after weapon clearance in different areas – because including the most destructive explosives can become foundation for marine organisms.
In the brackish sea off the German coast sits a graveyard of World War II explosives, torpedoes and naval mines. Discarded from boats at the conclusion of the second world war and left behind, numerous weapons have accumulated over the decades. They form a rusting layer on the shallow, muddy ocean floor of the Bay of Lübeck in the western part of the Baltic. Over the decades, the wartime weapons was ignored and forgotten about. A growing number of visitors came to the coastal areas and calm waters for water sports, kiteboarding and amusement parks. Below the waves, the weapons deteriorated. Some of us thought to see a lifeless zone, with no life because it was all contaminated, says 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 desert, with no organisms because it was all poisoned, states the lead researcher. What they discovered astonished them. Vedenin recounts his scientists reacting with shock when the underwater vehicle first relayed pictures. That moment was a remarkable experience, he notes. Thousands of sea creatures had made their homes on the munitions, forming a revitalized marine community richer than the seabed nearby. This marine city was proof to the resilience of life. It is actually remarkable how much marine organisms we discover in locations that are considered toxic and risky, he states. In excess of 40 sea stars had clustered on to one visible fragment of TNT. They were living on steel casings, detonator compartments and transport cases just a short distance from its volatile core. Marine fish, crabs, anemones and bivalves were all found on the historic weapons. It's similar to a coral reef in terms of the abundance of animal life that was present, says Vedenin. Remarkable Creature Concentration An average of more than 40,000 creatures were living on every square metre of the munitions, researchers documented in their paper on the discovery. The surrounding area was much sparser, with only 8,000 individuals on every meter squared. It is ironic that things that are designed to kill everything are attracting so much marine organisms, says Vedenin. One can observe how nature adjusts after a major disaster such as the World War II and how, in some way, marine life returns to the most risky locations. Man-made Features as Ocean Environments Man-made constructions such as sunken vessels, offshore windfarms, oil rigs and undersea pipes can provide replacements, restoring some of the removed habitat. This research shows that munitions could be similarly advantageous – the bloom of marine organisms on those in the Bay of Lübeck is probable to be repeated in different areas. Between the late 1940s and 1948, 1.6m tons of munitions were dumped off the Germany's shoreline. Countless of workers transported them in barges; a portion were deposited in designated locations, others just dumped during transport. This is the initial instance scientists have documented how ocean organisms has responded. Worldwide Examples of Marine Transformation In the United States, retired oil and gas structures have become coral reefs Sunken ships from the World War I have become homes for creatures along the Potomac in Maryland Tank tracks that have become environment to reef-building organisms off Asan in Guam These areas become even more valuable for organisms as the seas are increasingly depleted by commercial fishing, seafloor dredging and boat mooring. Sunken ships and munitions areas essentially function as protected areas – they are not national parks, but almost any kind of human activity is prohibited, states Vedenin. Therefore a lot of organisms that are otherwise rare or declining, such as the cod fish, are thriving. Future Factors Anywhere military conflict has happened in the past 100 years, adjacent waters are often littered with weapons, says Vedenin. Many millions of tonnes of explosive material rest in our seas. The positions of these explosives are poorly documented, partly because of national borders, restricted military information and the fact that documents are hidden in old files. They pose an explosion and security hazard, as well as risk from the ongoing emission of toxic chemicals. As Germany and different states start clearing these relics, experts plan to preserve the marine communities that have formed around them. In the Bay of Lübeck weapons are already being cleared. Researchers recommend substitute these iron structures remaining from munitions with some more secure, various harmless objects, like maybe concrete structures, says Vedenin. He currently wishes that what happens in Lübeck establishes a precedent for replacing habitats after weapon clearance in different areas – because including the most destructive explosives can become foundation for marine organisms.