🔗 Share this article World War II Explosives, Torpedoes and Naval Mines: How Ocean Creatures Prosper on Abandoned Armaments In the brackish waters off the Germany's shoreline rests a graveyard of Nazi bombs, torpedoes and naval mines. Discarded from vessels at the end of the World War II and forgotten about, countless weapons have fused into clusters over the decades. They form a corroding layer on the low-depth, muddy ocean floor of the Lübeck Bay in the western tip of the Baltic Sea. Over the years, the wartime weapons was overlooked and neglected. A increasing amount of visitors flocked to the coastal areas and tranquil sea for water sports, kite surfing and entertainment venues. Underwater, the weapons eroded. Some of us expected to see a barren area, with nothing living there because it was all toxic, explains a scientist. When the initial researchers went searching to see what they were affecting to the ecosystem, the team thought they would find a lifeless zone, with no life because it was all toxic, states the lead researcher. What they found amazed them. Vedenin recounts his colleagues reacting with shock when the ROV first relayed pictures. That moment was a remarkable experience, he notes. Countless of sea creatures had settled amid the explosives, developing a renewed ecosystem denser than the ocean bottom surrounding it. This marine city was evidence to the resilience of life. Indeed astonishing how much life we observe in areas that are expected to be dangerous and harmful, he states. Over 40 starfish had gathered on to one exposed fragment of explosive material. They were dwelling on iron containers, ignition chambers and carrying containers just centimetres from its explosive filling. Marine fish, crabs, anemones and bivalves were all discovered on the old munitions. It resembles a reef ecosystem in terms of the abundance of fauna that was present, states Vedenin. Surprising Creature Concentration An mean of more than 40,000 organisms were dwelling on every meter squared of the munitions, scientists reported in their study on the discovery. The nearby seabed was much less diverse, with only 8,000 individuals on every square metre. It is surprising that items that are intended to kill everything are drawing so much marine organisms, explains Vedenin. One can observe how the natural world adjusts after a catastrophic event such as the second world war and how, in some way, life establishes itself to the most hazardous locations. Artificial Structures as Ocean Environments Artificial features such as shipwrecks, offshore windfarms, oil rigs and undersea pipes can create replacements, replacing some of the destroyed habitat. This study shows that weapons could be equally advantageous – the proliferation of life on those in the Bay of Lübeck is expected to be found in different areas. Between the late 1940s and the post-war period, 1.6 million tons of arms were dumped off the German coast. Thousands of individuals loaded them in boats; a portion were dropped in specific locations, others just dumped while traveling. This is the first time experts have recorded how ocean organisms has reacted. Worldwide Examples of Marine Adaptation In the US, decommissioned energy installations have become reef ecosystems Sunken ships from the first world war have become homes for creatures along the Potomac in Maryland Tank tracks that have become habitat to reef-building organisms off Asan in the Pacific island These areas become even more valuable for marine life as the seas are increasingly denuded by commercial fishing, seafloor dredging and boat mooring. Shipwrecks and weapons dump sites effectively function as refuges – they are not official reserves, but nearly any kind of human activity is restricted, says Vedenin. As a result a many of marine species that are typically scarce or decreasing, such as the cod fish, are prospering. Future Factors Anywhere armed conflict has occurred in the last century, nearby oceans are often littered with explosives, states Vedenin. Many millions of tons of dangerous substances remain in our oceans. The sites of these weapons are poorly mapped, in part because of international boundaries, restricted military information and the situation that documents are hidden in old files. They present an explosion and safety danger, as well as danger from the persistent leakage of hazardous substances. As Germany and other countries begin removing these remains, researchers plan to preserve the ecosystems that have formed around them. In the Bay of Lübeck munitions are already being removed. Researchers recommend substitute these metal carcasses originating from munitions with some less dangerous, some harmless materials, like possibly artificial reefs, suggests Vedenin. He presently wishes that what happens in Lübeck creates a precedent for replacing structures after weapon clearance in different areas – because including the most damaging armaments can become framework for new life.
In the brackish waters off the Germany's shoreline rests a graveyard of Nazi bombs, torpedoes and naval mines. Discarded from vessels at the end of the World War II and forgotten about, countless weapons have fused into clusters over the decades. They form a corroding layer on the low-depth, muddy ocean floor of the Lübeck Bay in the western tip of the Baltic Sea. Over the years, the wartime weapons was overlooked and neglected. A increasing amount of visitors flocked to the coastal areas and tranquil sea for water sports, kite surfing and entertainment venues. Underwater, the weapons eroded. Some of us expected to see a barren area, with nothing living there because it was all toxic, explains a scientist. When the initial researchers went searching to see what they were affecting to the ecosystem, the team thought they would find a lifeless zone, with no life because it was all toxic, states the lead researcher. What they found amazed them. Vedenin recounts his colleagues reacting with shock when the ROV first relayed pictures. That moment was a remarkable experience, he notes. Countless of sea creatures had settled amid the explosives, developing a renewed ecosystem denser than the ocean bottom surrounding it. This marine city was evidence to the resilience of life. Indeed astonishing how much life we observe in areas that are expected to be dangerous and harmful, he states. Over 40 starfish had gathered on to one exposed fragment of explosive material. They were dwelling on iron containers, ignition chambers and carrying containers just centimetres from its explosive filling. Marine fish, crabs, anemones and bivalves were all discovered on the old munitions. It resembles a reef ecosystem in terms of the abundance of fauna that was present, states Vedenin. Surprising Creature Concentration An mean of more than 40,000 organisms were dwelling on every meter squared of the munitions, scientists reported in their study on the discovery. The nearby seabed was much less diverse, with only 8,000 individuals on every square metre. It is surprising that items that are intended to kill everything are drawing so much marine organisms, explains Vedenin. One can observe how the natural world adjusts after a catastrophic event such as the second world war and how, in some way, life establishes itself to the most hazardous locations. Artificial Structures as Ocean Environments Artificial features such as shipwrecks, offshore windfarms, oil rigs and undersea pipes can create replacements, replacing some of the destroyed habitat. This study shows that weapons could be equally advantageous – the proliferation of life on those in the Bay of Lübeck is expected to be found in different areas. Between the late 1940s and the post-war period, 1.6 million tons of arms were dumped off the German coast. Thousands of individuals loaded them in boats; a portion were dropped in specific locations, others just dumped while traveling. This is the first time experts have recorded how ocean organisms has reacted. Worldwide Examples of Marine Adaptation In the US, decommissioned energy installations have become reef ecosystems Sunken ships from the first world war have become homes for creatures along the Potomac in Maryland Tank tracks that have become habitat to reef-building organisms off Asan in the Pacific island These areas become even more valuable for marine life as the seas are increasingly denuded by commercial fishing, seafloor dredging and boat mooring. Shipwrecks and weapons dump sites effectively function as refuges – they are not official reserves, but nearly any kind of human activity is restricted, says Vedenin. As a result a many of marine species that are typically scarce or decreasing, such as the cod fish, are prospering. Future Factors Anywhere armed conflict has occurred in the last century, nearby oceans are often littered with explosives, states Vedenin. Many millions of tons of dangerous substances remain in our oceans. The sites of these weapons are poorly mapped, in part because of international boundaries, restricted military information and the situation that documents are hidden in old files. They present an explosion and safety danger, as well as danger from the persistent leakage of hazardous substances. As Germany and other countries begin removing these remains, researchers plan to preserve the ecosystems that have formed around them. In the Bay of Lübeck munitions are already being removed. Researchers recommend substitute these metal carcasses originating from munitions with some less dangerous, some harmless materials, like possibly artificial reefs, suggests Vedenin. He presently wishes that what happens in Lübeck creates a precedent for replacing structures after weapon clearance in different areas – because including the most damaging armaments can become framework for new life.