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3m ago

WWII Munitions in the Baltic Sea Host Dense Marine Life, Study Finds

New surveys show rare hard surfaces on war relics concentrate marine life despite toxic leakage.

Image
Along the Potomac River in Maryland, more than 100 abandoned World War I steamships make up the Ghost Fleet of Mallows Bay
© Andrey Vedenin et al./Communications Earth & Environment
Footage captured by a submersible of starfish on the exposed TNT of an unexploded Nazi bomb at the bottom of the Baltic Sea

Overview

  • Researchers reporting in Communications Earth & Environment measured about 43,000 organisms per square meter on V‑1 warheads in Lübeck Bay versus roughly 8,200 per square meter on nearby sediment.
  • Water samples around the munitions contained explosive compounds such as TNT and RDX ranging from about 30 nanograms per liter to as high as 2.7 milligrams per liter, levels estimated to be potentially lethal.
  • Organisms clustered on the metal casings rather than on exposed explosive material, a pattern the authors suggest reflects the value of hard substrate in an otherwise soft‑bottom environment.
  • The team used a remotely operated vehicle to survey a newly identified dumpsite in October 2024 and recommends replacing hazardous warheads with non‑toxic artificial surfaces to retain habitat without chemical risk.
  • A companion mapping study in Scientific Data photographed all 147 World War I shipwrecks at Mallows Bay, underscoring how sunken war debris functions as wildlife habitat and providing a resource for future research.