Impact Story #16
Dangerous Legacy Munitions in the Sea
Hundreds of thousands of tons of munitions from World War II still lie in the North Sea and Baltic Sea. Research at GEOMAR is helping to locate them—and recover them safely.
After World War II, munitions were disposed of at sea on a large scale. To this day, they remain on the seafloor and are increasingly disintegrating. In the process, pollutants such as TNT, mercury, and lead are released and accumulate in fish and shellfish, posing a threat to the environment and human health.
Researchers at GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel are systematically investigating these contaminated sites—from mapping and chemical analyses to the development of technical solutions. With the help of modern sensor technology and autonomous underwater vehicles, munition remnants can be precisely located and monitored.
This research provides a crucial scientific foundation for policy decisions. Based on these findings, the German government has launched an emergency munitions clearance program to prepare for large-scale recovery operations. GEOMAR is providing scientific support for this process and developing strategies for safe and environmentally sound clearance.
Together with partners, GEOMAR helped establish the MUNIMAR Competence Center and a European network to facilitate the international exchange of knowledge and technologies.
What lay hidden on the seafloor for so long is now being systematically documented—and gradually removed.
Image: Christian Howe
