This dataset contains the results of chemical analyses of water, sediment, and marine bivalves (Mytilus spp.) for residues of submerged munitions, which were taken during various field excursions to three wrecks from the First and Second World Wars in the North Sea: KW58 (Belgium), SMS Mainz (Germany), and UC30. Water and sediments were collected using CTD rosette water samplers and Van Veen sediment grabs (SMS Mainz), or by divers (KW58 and UC30). The mussels for mussel monitoring were collected near the island of Sylt (Germany) and exposed in cages on the wrecks for several weeks.
Samples were frozen immediately on board and transferred to the lab for examination. All samples were analyzed for the explosive 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) and its two primary metabolites, 4-amino-2,6-dinitrotoluene and 2-amino-4,6-dinitrotoluene, using gas chromatography tandem quadrupole mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS).
Dumped munition in the German North Sea and Baltic Sea pose environmental risks as corrosion of the munition shells results in the leakage of the explosive 2,4,6-trinitroluene (TNT) into the marine environment. Uptake of TNT by marine biota and the associated negative effects on organisms are of major concern. This dataset reports behavioral responses of three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) to environmentally relevant concentrations of TNT. Experimental sticklebacks were laboratory-bred and held in groups of 30 individuals in 60 L tanks in the fish facilities at the Thünen Institute of Fisheries Ecology in Bremerhaven. Parental sticklebacks originated from the Weser estuary (Luneplate, Bremerhaven, Germany, 53°28'36.9" N; 8°31'08.9" E) and were collected in April 2023. A total of 60 sticklebacks were tested in a controlled laboratory setup at the fish facilities at the Thünen Institute in Bremerhaven, containing two hideout zones formed by artificial plants. Each hideout was connected to an infusion system delivering either a TNT solution (100 µg/L) or control water into the zone currently occupied by the fish. Experimental trials were video-recorded to enable post hoc behavioral analysis. Behavioral metrics included the total time spent in the exposed hideout zone (s), latency to first leave the exposed hideout zone (s), and the number of crossings between hideout zones.
This dataset contains results from a field-based exposure study assessing the biological effects of submerged munitions on the marine bivalve Mytilus spp.. Mussels were collected from Sylt Island (North Sea) and exposed at three historic munition wrecks: SMS Mainz (Germany), KW58 Hendericus (Belgium), and UC30 (Denmark). At each site, mussel cages were deployed directly on or near the wreck structures for several weeks.
After recovery, mussels were assessed for mortality and dissected for histochemical and biochemical analyses. Tissues (gills, mantle, and digestive gland) were examined for histological biomarkers including lipofuscin, glycogen, neutral lipids, as well as sex and gonadal maturity. Enzymatic activities of catalase (CAT) and glutathione S-transferase (GST) were measured spectrophotometrically and normalized to protein content.