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Bünning, Lillian Tabea Hannah; Brüning, Romy; Scheer, Lars Christian; Schuster, Romina Marietta; Marx, Ute; Brenner, Matthias; Maser, Edmund (2026): Chemical analysis for explosive compounds in water, sediment, and flatfish Limanda limanda (dab) collected from shipwrecks in the North Sea to assess the biological effects of old World War munitions [dataset]. PANGAEA, https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.988023

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Published: 2026-01-16 • DOI registered: 2026-02-14

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Abstract:
This dataset documents field investigations on release of legacy World War I munition explosive compounds into the surrounding marine environment, with a focus on shipwreck sites in the North Sea. Three historically well-documented wrecks were selected: the light cruisers SMS Mainz and SMS Ariadne, and the minelayer submarine UC30. These wrecks were chosen based on detailed archival information regarding their sinking circumstances and cargo, their unambiguous identification, and their accessibility for scientific diving operations. As a munition-free control, a reference area outside known wreck fields was sampled (Naturschutzgebiet Borkum Riffgrund). The flatfish Limanda limanda (dab) was selected as a sentinel species. Sampling was conducted during several cruises with the research vessel Heincke (HE 573, April 2021 – SMS Mainz; HE 596, April 2022 – UC30 and SMS Ariadne; HE 607, September 2022 – UC30; HE 613, February 2023 – SMS Ariadne) and with the Uthörn (May 2022 – reference site). Water was sampled with a CTD rosette water sampler at different depths and processed on board by solid phase extraction at 4 °C. Sediment was sampled with a Van Veen grab sampler and frozen at -20 °C. Fish were caught using bottom trawls deployed as close as possible to the wreck structures. Captured fish were transferred to seawater tanks prior to dissection. Each specimen was measured, weighed, and assessed biometrically to calculate condition factors as indicators of general health. Tissue samples were immediately frozen in liquid nitrogen and stored at -20 °C. Samples were processed in the lab according to established protocols. All samples were analyzed by gas chromatography triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) for the explosive TNT and its metabolites 2- and 4-ADNT.
Project(s):
North Sea Interreg REMARCO (REMARCO)
North Sea Wrecks (NSW)
Coverage:
Median Latitude: 54.453246 * Median Longitude: 7.224966 * South-bound Latitude: 53.564126 * West-bound Longitude: 6.147960 * North-bound Latitude: 55.510000 * East-bound Longitude: 7.950000
Date/Time Start: 2021-04-10T06:33:45 * Date/Time End: 2023-02-21T15:14:18
Minimum DEPTH, water: 1.0 m * Maximum DEPTH, water: 56.6 m
Event(s):
HE573_7-1 * Latitude: 54.020000 * Longitude: 6.730000 * Date/Time: 2021-04-10T06:33:45 * Elevation: -28.0 m * Location: North Sea * Campaign: HE573 * Basis: Heincke * Method/Device: CTD/Rosette (CTD-RO)
HE573_7-2 * Latitude: 54.020000 * Longitude: 6.730000 * Date/Time: 2021-04-10T06:42:02 * Elevation: -30.0 m * Location: North Sea * Campaign: HE573 * Basis: Heincke * Method/Device: Grab (GRAB)
HE573_8-1 * Latitude: 54.020000 * Longitude: 6.730000 * Date/Time: 2021-04-10T06:58:42 * Elevation: -32.0 m * Location: North Sea * Campaign: HE573 * Basis: Heincke * Method/Device: CTD/Rosette (CTD-RO)
Parameter(s):
#NameShort NameUnitPrincipal InvestigatorMethod/DeviceComment
1Event labelEventSchuster, Romina Marietta
2Station labelStationSchuster, Romina Marietta
3Sample IDSample IDSchuster, Romina Marietta
4FamilyFamilySchuster, Romina Marietta
5Species, unique identificationSpecies UIDSchuster, Romina Marietta
6Species, unique identification (Semantic URI)Species UID (Semantic URI)Schuster, Romina Marietta
7Species, unique identification (URI)Species UID (URI)Schuster, Romina Marietta
8DATE/TIMEDate/TimeSchuster, Romina MariettaGeocode
9LATITUDELatitudeSchuster, Romina MariettaGeocode
10LONGITUDELongitudeSchuster, Romina MariettaGeocode
11LocationLocationSchuster, Romina Marietta
12DEPTH, waterDepth watermSchuster, Romina MariettaCTD probeGeocode
13Limanda limanda, total lengthL. limanda TLmmMarx, UteMeasuring board
14Limanda limanda, massL. limanda mgMarx, UteScale
15Limanda limanda, sexL. limanda sexMarx, UteVisual inspection
16Limanda limanda, muscle, 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, per dry massL. limanda muscle TNT/dmng/gBünning, Lillian Tabea HannahGas chromatography, coupled with tandem mass spectrometer (GC-MS/MS), Thermo Scientific, TSQ8000 Evo
17Limanda limanda, muscle, 4-amino-2,6-dinitrotoluene, per dry massL. limanda muscle 4-ADNT/dmng/gBünning, Lillian Tabea HannahGas chromatography, coupled with tandem mass spectrometer (GC-MS/MS), Thermo Scientific, TSQ8000 Evo
18Limanda limanda, muscle, 2-amino-4,6-dinitrotoluene, per dry massL. limanda muscle 2-ADNT/dmng/gBünning, Lillian Tabea HannahGas chromatography, coupled with tandem mass spectrometer (GC-MS/MS), Thermo Scientific, TSQ8000 Evo
19Limanda limanda, bile, 2,4,6-trinitrotolueneL. limanda bile TNTng/mlBünning, Lillian Tabea HannahGas chromatography, coupled with tandem mass spectrometer (GC-MS/MS), Thermo Scientific, TSQ8000 Evo
20Limanda limanda, bile, 4-amino-2,6-dinitroloueneL. limanda bile 4-ADNTng/mlBünning, Lillian Tabea HannahGas chromatography, coupled with tandem mass spectrometer (GC-MS/MS), Thermo Scientific, TSQ8000 Evo
21Limanda limanda, bile, 2-amino-4,6-dinitroloueneL. limanda bile 2-ADNTng/mlBünning, Lillian Tabea HannahGas chromatography, coupled with tandem mass spectrometer (GC-MS/MS), Thermo Scientific, TSQ8000 Evo
22Limanda limanda, liver, 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, per wet massL. limanda liver TNT/wmng/gBrüning, RomyGas chromatography, coupled with tandem mass spectrometer (GC-MS/MS), Thermo Scientific, TSQ8000 Evo
23Limanda limanda, liver, 4-amino-2,6-dinitrotoluene, per wet massL. limanda liver 4-ADNT/wmng/gBrüning, RomyGas chromatography, coupled with tandem mass spectrometer (GC-MS/MS), Thermo Scientific, TSQ8000 Evo
24Limanda limanda, liver, 2-amino-4,6-dinitrotoluene, per wet massL. limanda liver 2-ADNT/wmng/gBrüning, RomyGas chromatography, coupled with tandem mass spectrometer (GC-MS/MS), Thermo Scientific, TSQ8000 Evo
25Limanda limanda, blood, 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, per wet massL. limanda blood TNT/wmng/gBrüning, RomyGas chromatography, coupled with tandem mass spectrometer (GC-MS/MS), Thermo Scientific, TSQ8000 Evo
26Limanda limanda, blood, 4-amino-2,6-dinitrotoluene, per wet massL. limanda blood 4-ADNT/wmng/gBrüning, RomyGas chromatography, coupled with tandem mass spectrometer (GC-MS/MS), Thermo Scientific, TSQ8000 Evo
27Limanda limanda, blood, 2-amino-4,6-dinitrotoluene, per wet massL. limanda blood 2-ADNT/wmng/gBrüning, RomyGas chromatography, coupled with tandem mass spectrometer (GC-MS/MS), Thermo Scientific, TSQ8000 Evo
28Limanda limanda, urine, 2,4,6-trinitrotolueneL. limanda urine TNTng/mlBrüning, RomyGas chromatography, coupled with tandem mass spectrometer (GC-MS/MS), Thermo Scientific, TSQ8000 Evo
29Limanda limanda, urine, 4-amino-2,6-dinitrotolueneL. limanda urine 4-ADNTng/mlBrüning, RomyGas chromatography, coupled with tandem mass spectrometer (GC-MS/MS), Thermo Scientific, TSQ8000 Evo
30Limanda limanda, urine, 2-amino-4,6-dinitrotolueneL. limanda urine 2-ADNTng/mlBrüning, RomyGas chromatography, coupled with tandem mass spectrometer (GC-MS/MS), Thermo Scientific, TSQ8000 Evo
31Limanda limanda, gills, 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, per dry massL. limanda gills TNT/dmng/gBünning, Lillian Tabea HannahGas chromatography, coupled with tandem mass spectrometer (GC-MS/MS), Thermo Scientific, TSQ8000 Evo
32Limanda limanda, gills, 4-amino-2,6-dinitrotoluene, per dry massL. limanda gills 4-ADNT/dmng/gBünning, Lillian Tabea HannahGas chromatography, coupled with tandem mass spectrometer (GC-MS/MS), Thermo Scientific, TSQ8000 Evo
33Limanda limanda, gills, 2-amino-4,6-dinitrotoluene, per dry massL. limanda gills 2-ADNT/dmng/gBünning, Lillian Tabea HannahGas chromatography, coupled with tandem mass spectrometer (GC-MS/MS), Thermo Scientific, TSQ8000 Evo
342,4,6-trinitrotoluene, per unit sediment dry massTNT/sed dmµg/kgBünning, Lillian Tabea HannahGas chromatography, coupled with tandem mass spectrometer (GC-MS/MS), Thermo Scientific, TSQ8000 Evo
354-amino-2,6-dinitrotoluene, per unit sediment dry mass4-ADNT/sed dmµg/kgBünning, Lillian Tabea HannahGas chromatography, coupled with tandem mass spectrometer (GC-MS/MS), Thermo Scientific, TSQ8000 Evo
362-amino-4,6-dinitrotoluene, per unit sediment dry mass2-ADNT/sed dmµg/kgBünning, Lillian Tabea HannahGas chromatography, coupled with tandem mass spectrometer (GC-MS/MS), Thermo Scientific, TSQ8000 Evo
372,4,6-trinitrotolueneTNTng/lBünning, Lillian Tabea HannahGas chromatography, coupled with tandem mass spectrometer (GC-MS/MS), Thermo Scientific, TSQ8000 Evoin water
384-amino-2,6-dinitrotoluene4-ADNTng/lBünning, Lillian Tabea HannahGas chromatography, coupled with tandem mass spectrometer (GC-MS/MS), Thermo Scientific, TSQ8000 Evoin water
392-amino-4,6-dinitrotoluene2-ADNTng/lBünning, Lillian Tabea HannahGas chromatography, coupled with tandem mass spectrometer (GC-MS/MS), Thermo Scientific, TSQ8000 Evoin water
License:
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC-BY-4.0)
Status:
Curation Level: Enhanced curation (CurationLevelC)
Size:
4950 data points

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