Exploration of the munition dumpsite Kolberger Heide in Kiel Bay, Germany: Example for a standardised hydroacoustic and optic monitoring approach

Highlights • Over 1,000 discarded munition material (DMM) are located inside the nearshore munition dumpsite Kolberger Heide. • Munition is exposed and explosives are in direct contact with local flora and fauna. • Munition migration, scour formation and consequent burial takes place. • Only a monitoring can reliably document long-term changes and allow for future predictions. Abstract Post-war marine munition dumpsites do exist and are acknowledged by authorities, but their real extent and their effect onto the environment are mostly unknown. Military historic reconstruction and ocean current data (from in-situ measurements and modelled data) indicate that the German dumpsite in the Baltic Sea ‘Kolberger Heide’ is an active environment with a huge content of discarded munition material (DMM). Repeated high-resolution multibeam and underwater video surveys prove that Kolberger Heide contains more than 1,000 munition objects in the form of e.g. moored mines, ground mines, torpedoes and aerial bombs. An unsupervised seafloor classification was performed to show that corroded munition objects and proud explosives are in direct contact with the diverse local marine flora and fauna. Also the fact that the dumpsite is in close proximity to the shore in very shallow water (less than 15 m water depth) and displacement and burial of mines can be observed, demand an effective and standardised monitoring procedure. Via the combined approach of hydroacoustic and optical methods, areas can be identified, which should be prioritized when it comes to monitoring

Warship wrecks and their munition cargos as a threat to the marine environment and humans: The V 1302 “JOHN MAHN” from World War II

In addition to endangering sea traffic, cable routes, and wind farms, sunken warship wrecks with dangerous cargo, fuel, or munitions on board may emerge as point sources for environmental damage. Energetic compounds such as TNT (which could leak from these munitions) are known for their toxicity, mutagenicity, and carcinogenicity. These compounds may cause potential adverse effects on marine life via contamination of the marine ecosystem, and their entry into the marine and human food chain could directly affect human health. To ascertain the impending danger of an environmental catastrophe posed by sunken warships, the North Sea Wrecks (NSW) project (funded by the Interreg North Sea Region Program) was launched in 2018. Based on historical data (derived from military archives) including the calculated amount of munitions still on board, its known location and accessibility, the German World War II ship “Vorpostenboot 1302” (former civilian name - “JOHN MAHN”) was selected as a case study to investigate the leakage and distribution of toxic explosives in the marine environment. The wreck site and surrounding areas were mapped in great detail by scientific divers and a multibeam echosounder. Water and sediment samples were taken in a cross-shaped pattern around the wreck. To assess a possible entry into the marine food chain, aged mussels were exposed at the wreck, and wild fish (pouting), a sedentary species that stays locally at the wreck, were caught. All samples were analyzed for the presence of TNT and derivatives thereof by GC–MS/MS analysis. As a result, we could provide evidence that sunken warship wrecks emerge as a point source of contamination with nitroaromatic energetic compounds leaking from corroding munitions cargo still on board. Not only did we find these explosive substances in bottom water and sediment samples around the wreck, but also in the caged mussels as well as in wild fish living at the wreck. Fortunately so far, the concentrations found in mussel meat and fish filet were only in the one-digit ng per gram range thus indicating no current concern for the human seafood consumer. However, in the future the situation mayworsen as the corrosion continues. Fromour study, it is proposed that wrecks should not only be ranked according to critical infrastructure and human activities at sea, but also to the threats they pose to the environment and the human seafood consumer

Risk assessment of war wrecks – a comprehensive approach investigating four wrecks containing munitions in the German Bight/North Sea

Shipwrecks and dumped munition continue to be a major hazard, both in the North Sea but also on a global scale. Research within the EU Interreg project North Sea Wrecks (NSW), in cooperation with the German Aerospace Centre, Institute for the Protection of Maritime Infrastructures (DLR), is generating new insights into the status of wrecks, the potential leakage of pollutants from remaining munitions loads and the effects of contamination on exposed marine organisms in the North Sea environment. Further, historical documents are generated from archives to describe ship’s history and sinking scenario. These historical findings were compared to models and images of the visual inspections of the wrecks. Further, samples of water, sediment and organisms are being analysed for traces of explosives. Combining the results of these different fields of research allows for a better understanding of the environmental risks deriving from these wrecks. This process is shown below by focusing on the wreck of the German light cruiser SMS MAINZ, which sank in 1914. Data were compared to three additional wrecks situated also within the southern German Bight. Available data about the wrecks were preliminary assessed using a wreck risk model. Finally, wrecks were ranked according to their potential environmental risk

Thematic assessment on Hazardous Submerged Objects in the Baltic Sea - Warfare Materials in the Baltic Sea

Contemporary society’s perception of past wars is almost exclusively driven by historic sources such as film recordings, photographs and written documents that are presented in mass media. However, the legacy of these wars is still present throughout European soil and waters, including the Baltic Sea. The marine waters of every Baltic Sea state contain warfare materials. Resulting risks may be direct and short-term. Fishermen, divers, offshore wind farm constructors and beachgoers can potentially be exposed to their remains while performing their daily work or while collecting objects in the surf. Other potential effects might be indirect and long-term such as the accumulation of carcinogenic toxic substances and their metabolites in the marine food web. Since 1974 Contracting Parties of the Helsinki Convention are seeking to address the increasing environmental challenges from human activities and that were having a severe impact on the marine environment. This includes the protection of the Baltic Sea from all sources of pollution, and thus munitions in the Baltic Sea are addressed by HELCOM since 1993. The convention commits the signatories to take measures to conserve habitats and biological diversity and for the sustainable use of marine resources. In addition, warfare materials potentially constitute a hazard and an obstacle for the utilization of the sea floor for economic purposes. The global ocean economy is predicted to double in size by 2030, as compared to 2010 (OECD 2016). In the Blue Growth Strategy laid out by the European Commission the economic potential for the extended economic usage of the oceans was recognized and focus was placed on five blue growth sectors. Two of these sectors (ocean energy and seabed mining) require the ability to safely access large areas of the sea floor (European Commission 2017). In order to exploit the economic potential of the ocean energy and seabed resources sectors, the detection and removal of warfare materials in affected areas will become increasingly important (European Parliament 2021). Recently, numerous HELCOM Contracting Parties supported increasing the knowledge concerning warfare materials in the Baltic Sea and their effects on humans and the marine environment of the Baltic Sea. As a result of national, regional and international scientific research the understanding of the issue grows and consequentially numerous recommendations are published on how the warfare materials challenge can be addressed. However, international coordination is necessary to identify synergies and to avoid a duplication of efforts. This report provides the current state of knowledge on warfare materials in the Baltic sea based on recent research projects

North Sea Wrecks - An interdisciplinary approach towards understanding the risks posed by wrecks containing munitions in the North Sea

Shipwrecks and dumped munitions continue to be a major hazard in the North Sea. Research within the EU Interreg project North Sea Wrecks (NSW), in cooperation with DLR, is generating new insights into the status of wrecks, the potential leakage of pollutants from munitions loads and the effects of contamination on exposed marine organisms in the North Sea environment. Further, historical documents are compared to models and visual inspections of the wreck. Samples of water, sediment and organisms are being analysed. Combining the results of these different fields of research allows for a better understanding of the environmental risks deriving from these wrecks. The extended article will detail the wreck of the SMS Mainz as a case study

Kampfmittel im Meer – Der Umgang mit Belastungsschwerpunkten

Kampfmittel im Meer stellen aufgrund des von ihnen ausgehenden Risikos für die Bevölkerung und die bereits eintretende Belastung der Umwelt eine enorme Herausforderung dar. Von besonderer Bedeutung sind hierbei Belastungsschwerpunkte wie das Versenkungsgebiet Kolberger Heide. Dieser Beitrag beschreibt mögliche Maßnahmen, um mit solchen Belastungsschwerpunkten umzugehen. Hierzu gehören die Einrichtung von Sperrgebieten, die Etablierung eines Monitoring-Programms, die Durchführung historischer Recherchen sowie technischer Erkundungsarbeiten, die Räumung von Kampfmitteln und an die Öffentlichkeit gerichtete Informationskampagnen. Anschließend wird untersucht, wie diese Maßnahmen bislang in der Kolberger Heide Anwendung finden. Zuletzt werden mögliche zukünftige Maßnahmen vorgeschlagen

The Robotic Bar – An Integrated Demonstration of a Robotic Assistant

Coming out of the labs, the first robots are currently appearing on the consumer market. Initially they target rather simple application scenarios ranging from entertainment to home convenience. However, one can expect, that they will capture more complex areas soon. These robots will have a higher and higher level and a broad range of functional competence, and will collaborate and interactively communicate with their human users. All this requires considerable cognitive abilities on the robot’s side and appropriate man-machine interaction technologies. Apart from further development of individual functions and technologies it is crucial to build and evaluate fully integrated systems. This paper describes our approach to construct a robotic assistance system. We present experience with an integrated technology demonstration and the exposure of the integrated system to the public

Degradome of soluble ADAM10 and ADAM17 metalloproteases

International audienc

Risk assessment of war wrecks, a comprehensive approach investigating four wrecks containing munitions in the German Bight/North Sea

Shipwrecks and dumped munition continue to be a major hazard, both in the North Sea but also on a global scale. Research within the EU Interreg project North Sea Wrecks (NSW), in cooperation with the German Aerospace Centre, Institute for the Protection of Maritime Infrastructures (DLR), is generating new insights into the status of wrecks, the potential leakage of pollutants from remaining munitions loads and the effects of contamination on exposed marine organisms in the North Sea environment. Further, historical documents are generated from archives to describe ship’s history and sinking scenario. These historical findings were compared to models and images of the visual inspections of the wrecks. Further, samples of water, sediment and organisms are being analysed for traces of explosives. Combining the results of these different fields of research allows for a better understanding of the environmental risks deriving from these wrecks. This process is shown below by focusing on the wreck of the German light cruiser SMS MAINZ, which sank in 1914. Data were compared to three additional wrecks situated also within the southern German Bight. Available data about the wrecks were preliminary assessed using a wreck risk model. Finally, wrecks were ranked according to their potential environmental risk