Knowledge Portal Munitions in the SeaThere is no doubt that sediment in the immediate vicinity of disintegrating munition objects become contaminated by munition compounds. But, there is still a long way to go in describing the roles of epiflora and epifauna regarding the distribution of munition compounds and to model or predict it sufficiently within marine habitats.
Corrosion of munition casings leads to breaches, allowing the dissolution and release of munition compounds into the marine environment. Numerous studies have shown evidence of both explosive chemicals and chemical warfare agents (CWAs) release from munition dumpsites. Dissolved explosive compounds have been widely detected in the water column, although typically at very low concentrations at the level of a few ng per litre of seawater. Sediment contamination by explosives and CWAs has also been shown. Ongoing work seeks to characterise the spatial and temporal variation in chemical contamination from munitions and to understand the fate of these compounds in the environment.