Knowledge Portal Munitions in the SeaThere is no doubt that sediment in the immediate vicinity of munition objects having lost integrity get contaminated by munition compounds (MC). But there is still a long way to go to describing all roles of epiflora and epifauna regarding the distribution of MC and to model or predict it sufficiently within marine habitats.
Munition casing breaching by corrosion allows dissolution and release of munition compounds to the marine environment. Numerous studies have shown evidence of both explosive chemical and chemical warfare agent release from munition dumpsites. Dissolved explosive compounds have been widely detected in the water column, although typically at very low concentrations (low ng/L level). Sediment contamination by explosives and CWAs has also been shown. Ongoing work seeks to characterize the spatial and temporal variation in chemical contamination from munitions, and to understand the fate of these compounds in the environment.