Scientists discover marine life thriving on World War II explosives in the Baltic Sea

Scientists exploring a World War II weapons dumpsite in the Baltic Sea have discovered swarms of sea creatures thriving on the surfaces of long-abandoned explosives thought to be toxic to marine life.

An undersea submersible spotted crabs, worms, and fish thriving on top of warheads, even outnumbering creatures lurking in surrounding seabeds.

“We were prepared to see significantly lower numbers of all kinds of animals,” said study author Andrey Vedenin with the Senckenberg Research Institute in Germany. “But it turned out the opposite.”

Germany’s waters alone are home to roughly 1.6 million tons of discarded weapons, mostly from the two world wars in the 20th century.

Many still contain chemical agents, explosives like TNT, and even nuclear remnants.

A study on the findings, published Thursday in the Journal of Communications Earth and Environment, adds to a growing body of research showing how marine life can adapt and flourish in polluted sites.

Researchers filmed networks of anemones, starfish, and other underwater life in the Bay of Lübeck off the coast of Germany, lurking on remnants of V-1 flying bombs used by Nazi Germany.

“Normally, one does not study the ecology of bombs,” said University of Georgia ecologist James Porter, who was not involved with the research.

The sea creatures may be drawn to the weapons because they are hard surfaces, unlike the remainder of the flat, sandy, and muddy Baltic seafloor, Vedenin said.

Stones and boulders were fished out of the water for construction in the 1800s and 1900s, leaving fewer areas for marine life to anchor themselves, Vedenin said.

The area is also fairly isolated from human activity because of the chemicals, creating a somewhat protective bubble for the critters to thrive despite some toxic trade-offs.

Scientists are now working to calculate how much contamination underwater creatures have absorbed from the weapons. Another important next step is to see what happens after the critters settle and whether they’re capable of reproducing, Porter added.

The study follows work by other researchers, such as marine conservation biologist David Johnston of Duke University, who discovered that sunken World War I ships have become habitats for wildlife along the Potomac River in Maryland.

“I think it’s a really cool testimony to the strength of life,” Johnson said.

with Post wires