🔗 Share this article Nazi Munitions, Torpedo Heads and Mines: How Marine Life Prosper on Dumped Armaments In the slightly salty waters off the German shoreline lies a wasteland of Nazi bombs, torpedoes and naval mines. Discarded from vessels at the conclusion of the second world war and forgotten about, countless munitions have accumulated over the years. They comprise a rusting carpet on the low-depth, silty ocean floor of the Lübeck Bay in the western part of the Baltic. Over the years, the wartime weapons was overlooked and forgotten about. A growing number of tourists flocked to the sandy beaches and tranquil sea for jetskiing, kite surfing and entertainment venues. Below the waves, the munitions deteriorated. Researchers thought to see a barren area, with no life because it was all poisoned, explains the lead researcher. When the team went investigating to see what they were affecting to the marine environment, some of us expected to see a barren area, with nothing living there because it was all toxic, explains the lead researcher. What they discovered amazed them. Vedenin recounts his team members shouting with surprise when the underwater vehicle first relayed pictures. That moment was a memorable occasion, he recalls. Countless of ocean life had established habitats amid the weapons, creating a regenerated habitat richer than the sea floor surrounding it. This ocean community was testament to the persistence of life. Indeed astonishing how much marine organisms we find in areas that are considered dangerous and harmful, he states. More than 40 starfish had piled on to one exposed fragment of explosive material. They were living on iron containers, detonator compartments and transport cases just centimetres from its dangerous content. Marine fish, crustaceans, sea anemones and mussels were all observed on the old munitions. You could compare it with a reef ecosystem in terms of the amount of fauna that was present, says Vedenin. Unexpected Population Density An average of more than forty thousand organisms were living on every meter squared of the weapons, experts wrote in their research on the discovery. The surrounding area was much poorer in life, with only eight thousand organisms on every square metre. It is surprising that things that are intended to kill all life are attracting so much life, says Vedenin. One can observe how nature adjusts after a devastating occurrence such as the second world war and how, in some way, marine life establishes itself to the most hazardous locations. Artificial Structures as Marine Habitats Man-made features such as sunken vessels, offshore windfarms, drilling platforms and undersea pipes can create substitutes, replacing some of the lost habitat. This study shows that weapons could be comparably positive – the explosion of life on those in the Bay of Lübeck is expected to be repeated elsewhere. Between 1946 and 1948, 1.6m tonnes of munitions were discarded off the German coast. Countless of workers placed them in barges; some were deposited in specific sites, the remainder just dumped during transport. This is the initial instance experts have studied how marine life has responded. Global Examples of Marine Adaptation In the United States, decommissioned drilling platforms have turned into marine habitats Submerged vessels from the first world war have become habitats for creatures along the Potomac River in the state of Maryland Tank tracks that have become environment to reef-building organisms off Asan beach in Guam These areas become even more valuable for organisms as the seas are increasingly depleted by fishing, seafloor dredging and boat mooring. Shipwrecks and munitions areas practically function as sanctuaries – they are not national parks, but almost any kind of human activity is banned, says Vedenin. Therefore a many of organisms that are usually uncommon or declining, such as the cod fish, are prospering. Coming Factors Anywhere military conflict has occurred in the past 100 years, adjacent waters are usually strewn with munitions, states Vedenin. Millions of tonnes of dangerous substances remain in our seas. The positions of these weapons are poorly mapped, partly because of national borders, secret armed forces records and the reality that documents are stored in historic archives. They pose an explosion and security hazard, as well as risk from the continuous release of poisonous compounds. As the German government and different states begin clearing these remains, researchers aim to preserve the ecosystems that have established around them. In the Bay of Lübeck weapons are currently being removed. Researchers recommend replace these metal carcasses left from weapons with some safer, some harmless materials, like possibly man-made habitats, suggests Vedenin. He presently hopes that what happens in the Bay of Lübeck sets a model for substituting structures after weapon clearance elsewhere – because even the most harmful weaponry can become framework for new life.
In the slightly salty waters off the German shoreline lies a wasteland of Nazi bombs, torpedoes and naval mines. Discarded from vessels at the conclusion of the second world war and forgotten about, countless munitions have accumulated over the years. They comprise a rusting carpet on the low-depth, silty ocean floor of the Lübeck Bay in the western part of the Baltic. Over the years, the wartime weapons was overlooked and forgotten about. A growing number of tourists flocked to the sandy beaches and tranquil sea for jetskiing, kite surfing and entertainment venues. Below the waves, the munitions deteriorated. Researchers thought to see a barren area, with no life because it was all poisoned, explains the lead researcher. When the team went investigating to see what they were affecting to the marine environment, some of us expected to see a barren area, with nothing living there because it was all toxic, explains the lead researcher. What they discovered amazed them. Vedenin recounts his team members shouting with surprise when the underwater vehicle first relayed pictures. That moment was a memorable occasion, he recalls. Countless of ocean life had established habitats amid the weapons, creating a regenerated habitat richer than the sea floor surrounding it. This ocean community was testament to the persistence of life. Indeed astonishing how much marine organisms we find in areas that are considered dangerous and harmful, he states. More than 40 starfish had piled on to one exposed fragment of explosive material. They were living on iron containers, detonator compartments and transport cases just centimetres from its dangerous content. Marine fish, crustaceans, sea anemones and mussels were all observed on the old munitions. You could compare it with a reef ecosystem in terms of the amount of fauna that was present, says Vedenin. Unexpected Population Density An average of more than forty thousand organisms were living on every meter squared of the weapons, experts wrote in their research on the discovery. The surrounding area was much poorer in life, with only eight thousand organisms on every square metre. It is surprising that things that are intended to kill all life are attracting so much life, says Vedenin. One can observe how nature adjusts after a devastating occurrence such as the second world war and how, in some way, marine life establishes itself to the most hazardous locations. Artificial Structures as Marine Habitats Man-made features such as sunken vessels, offshore windfarms, drilling platforms and undersea pipes can create substitutes, replacing some of the lost habitat. This study shows that weapons could be comparably positive – the explosion of life on those in the Bay of Lübeck is expected to be repeated elsewhere. Between 1946 and 1948, 1.6m tonnes of munitions were discarded off the German coast. Countless of workers placed them in barges; some were deposited in specific sites, the remainder just dumped during transport. This is the initial instance experts have studied how marine life has responded. Global Examples of Marine Adaptation In the United States, decommissioned drilling platforms have turned into marine habitats Submerged vessels from the first world war have become habitats for creatures along the Potomac River in the state of Maryland Tank tracks that have become environment to reef-building organisms off Asan beach in Guam These areas become even more valuable for organisms as the seas are increasingly depleted by fishing, seafloor dredging and boat mooring. Shipwrecks and munitions areas practically function as sanctuaries – they are not national parks, but almost any kind of human activity is banned, says Vedenin. Therefore a many of organisms that are usually uncommon or declining, such as the cod fish, are prospering. Coming Factors Anywhere military conflict has occurred in the past 100 years, adjacent waters are usually strewn with munitions, states Vedenin. Millions of tonnes of dangerous substances remain in our seas. The positions of these weapons are poorly mapped, partly because of national borders, secret armed forces records and the reality that documents are stored in historic archives. They pose an explosion and security hazard, as well as risk from the continuous release of poisonous compounds. As the German government and different states begin clearing these remains, researchers aim to preserve the ecosystems that have established around them. In the Bay of Lübeck weapons are currently being removed. Researchers recommend replace these metal carcasses left from weapons with some safer, some harmless materials, like possibly man-made habitats, suggests Vedenin. He presently hopes that what happens in the Bay of Lübeck sets a model for substituting structures after weapon clearance elsewhere – because even the most harmful weaponry can become framework for new life.