World War II Explosives, Torpedoes and Naval Mines: The Way Marine Life Thrives on Discarded Armaments
In the slightly salty sea off the German coast lies a collection of World War II explosives, torpedoes and naval mines. Dumped from boats at the conclusion of the second world war and neglected, thousands munitions have become matted together over the years. They form a rusting carpet on the shallow, muddy ocean floor of the Bay of Lübeck in the western part of the Baltic.
Over the decades, the explosive stockpile was overlooked and forgotten about. A increasing amount of visitors came to the sandy beaches and tranquil sea for water sports, kiteboarding and amusement parks. Underwater, the weapons decayed.
Researchers expected to see a lifeless zone, with no life because it was all contaminated, says a scientist.
When the initial researchers went searching to see what they were affecting to the marine environment, researchers expected to see a lifeless zone, with no organisms because it was all poisoned, states a scientist.
What they observed astonished them. Vedenin remembers his colleagues exclaiming in amazement when the submersible first sent the images back. This was a great moment, he says.
Thousands of sea creatures had settled among the weapons, creating a revitalized marine community more populous than the seabed nearby.
This ocean community was proof to the resilience of life. Indeed remarkable how much marine organisms we find in locations that are supposed to be toxic and harmful, he explains.
Over 40 sea stars had gathered on to one exposed fragment of explosive material. They were dwelling on steel casings, fuse pockets and storage boxes just centimetres from its dangerous content. Marine fish, crabs, sea anemones and bivalves were all observed on the old munitions. It's similar to a reef ecosystem in terms of the abundance of animal life that was inhabiting the area, notes Vedenin.
Surprising Creature Concentration
An mean of more than 40,000 organisms were living on every square metre of the explosives, researchers wrote in their study on the finding. The nearby seabed was much less diverse, with only eight thousand organisms on every meter squared.
It is paradoxical that items that are meant to destroy all life are drawing so much life, says Vedenin. It's evident how the natural world adjusts after a major disaster such as the World War II and how, in certain respects, marine life finds its way to the most dangerous areas.
Man-made Structures as Ocean Habitats
Man-made structures such as shipwrecks, wind turbines, oil rigs and undersea pipes can create substitutes, compensating for some of the destroyed marine environment. This study shows that munitions could be similarly positive – the bloom of marine organisms on those in the Lübeck Bay is expected to be found in other locations.
Between 1946 and the post-war period, 1.6 million tons of weapons were discarded off the Germany's shoreline. Thousands of workers placed them in vessels; a portion were deposited in allocated sites, the remainder just dumped during transport. This is the first time researchers have documented how marine life has reacted.
Worldwide Instances of Ocean Transformation
- In the United States, decommissioned oil and gas structures have turned into reef ecosystems
- Submerged vessels from the first world war have become habitats for marine life along the Potomac River in the state of Maryland
- Military vehicle parts that have become home to coral off Asan beach in Guam
These locations become even more crucial for wildlife as the marine environments are increasingly stripped by commercial fishing, seafloor dredging and boat mooring. Shipwrecks and explosive disposal locations essentially serve as protected areas – they are not national parks, but nearly any kind of anthropogenic disturbance is banned, states Vedenin. As a result a numerous of species that are usually scarce or diminishing, such as the cod fish, are thriving.
Future Issues
Anywhere warfare has occurred in the recent history, nearby oceans are typically littered with munitions, says Vedenin. Millions of tons of explosive material rest in our seas.
The locations of these munitions are inadequately documented, partially because of national borders, classified defense data and the situation that archives are buried in historic archives. They create an explosion and safety risk, as well as risk from the persistent emission of toxic chemicals.
As the German government and other countries start removing these relics, researchers plan to preserve the marine communities that have established in their vicinity. In the Lübeck Bay munitions are currently being extracted.
We should substitute these iron structures originating from munitions with certain more secure, some safe materials, like perhaps man-made habitats, says Vedenin.
He currently wishes that what occurs in the Bay of Lübeck establishes a precedent for substituting habitats after explosive extraction in different areas – because even the most damaging weaponry can become foundation for new life.