In the slightly salty waters off the Germany's shoreline rests a collection of World War II explosives, torpedoes and naval mines. Discarded from vessels at the conclusion of the second world war and neglected, numerous weapons have accumulated over the years. They create a decaying carpet on the low-depth, muddy seafloor of the Bay of Lübeck in the western part of the Baltic Sea.
Over the decades, the wartime weapons was ignored and forgotten about. A increasing amount of tourists came to the sandy beaches and calm waters for jetskiing, kiteboarding and amusement parks. Underwater, the weapons decayed.
Researchers thought to see a barren area, with nothing living there because it was all contaminated, says Andrey Vedenin.
When the initial researchers went looking to see what they were affecting to the marine environment, researchers thought they would find a lifeless zone, with no life because it was all contaminated, explains Andrey Vedenin.
What they observed surprised them. Vedenin remembers his scientists reacting with shock when the submersible first sent the images back. This was a great moment, he notes.
Thousands of marine animals had settled amid the weapons, developing a regenerated habitat richer than the sea floor surrounding it.
This underwater metropolis was testament to the tenacity of marine life. It is actually astonishing how much life we discover in places that are supposed to be toxic and risky, he explains.
Over 40 starfish had piled on to one exposed piece of explosive material. They were living on steel casings, fuse pockets and storage boxes just centimetres from its dangerous content. Fish, crabs, sea anemones and mussels were all found on the discarded explosives. You could compare it with a reef ecosystem in terms of the amount of animal life that was there, notes Vedenin.
Remarkable Population Density
An average of more than forty thousand animals were dwelling on every meter squared of the weapons, researchers wrote in their research on the discovery. The adjacent region was much sparser, with only 8,000 creatures on every square metre.
It is ironic that items that are meant to kill all life are drawing so much marine organisms, states Vedenin. It's evident how the natural world evolves after a devastating occurrence such as the World War II and how, in certain respects, marine life finds its way to the most hazardous areas.
Artificial Structures as Marine Habitats
Man-made structures such as shipwrecks, offshore windfarms, oil rigs and undersea pipes can provide substitutes, replacing some of the lost habitat. This investigation demonstrates that weapons could be similarly positive – the explosion 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 disposed of off the Germany's shoreline. Thousands of workers placed them in vessels; some were dropped in specific locations, the remainder just thrown overboard en route. This is the initial instance researchers have recorded how ocean organisms has responded.
Worldwide Instances of Marine Transformation
- In the United States, decommissioned oil and gas structures have turned into coral reefs
- Sunken ships from the World War I have become homes for marine life along the Potomac in Maryland
- Military vehicle parts that have become habitat to coral off Asan in the Pacific island
These places become even more important for wildlife as the oceans are increasingly stripped by fishing, seafloor dredging and anchoring. Shipwrecks and munitions areas essentially serve as refuges – they are not official reserves, but nearly any kind of human activity is banned, explains Vedenin. As a result a numerous of species that are otherwise scarce or decreasing, such as the cod fish, are prospering.
Future Issues
Wherever armed conflict has occurred in the last century, adjacent waters are usually containing weapons, explains Vedenin. Many millions of tons of dangerous substances rest in our marine environments.
The locations of these weapons are insufficiently documented, in part because of international boundaries, restricted defense data and the situation that records are hidden in historical records. They create an explosion and safety hazard, as well as risk from the ongoing emission of toxic chemicals.
As Germany and other countries start extracting these relics, experts plan to preserve the marine communities that have established in their vicinity. In the Lübeck Bay weapons are already being extracted.
It would be wise to replace these iron structures remaining from weapons with some more secure, various non-dangerous materials, like perhaps concrete structures, states Vedenin.
He presently wishes that what occurs in the Bay of Lübeck sets a precedent for substituting material after munitions removal in different areas – because also the most destructive armaments can become scaffolding for marine organisms.
