Expeditions

The ALDEBARAN set off from Strasbourg on a 25-port, 1,111-kilometre expedition to Hamburg on World Ocean Day 2023, researching human influence on waterways and the fascinating biodiversity along the Rhine.

The topics to be researched: biodiversity and the ecological footprint of humans in bodies of water with an e-DANN research project.

Many German water bodies are in a catastrophic state and only 10% meet the strict ecological requirements of the European Water Framework Directive. Industrial discharges which are still permitted, can quickly lead to dead zones for fish and other creatures in the event of low water levels caused by climate change. The water quality of Germany's longest river, the Rhine, reached its lowest point in the 1970s. Thanks to dedicated people and environmental measures, much has changed since then. The ALDEBARAN expedition investigated the current state of the Rhine's pollution levels, its biodiversity and the impact of human activity on the river.

To the YouTube playlist of the Rhine Expedition

Many years on from reunification and the Elbe is still not in a good state. A mixture of highly toxic contaminants from the pre-reunification period and huge amounts of agricultural fertilizers make the river one of the dirtiest in Europe. Flowing down river, the pollutants are also problematic for our ocean.

Everything that the Elbe carries along its course ends up in the North Sea, where it harms the numerous inhabitants of the Wadden Sea National Park. In order to scientifically investigate this complex interplay and draw attention to these problems, the ALDEBARAN set off from Dresden on World Ocean Day 2022 with six different scientific projects on board to conduct an
analysis of the current status of the Elbe.

With a voyage of the ALDEBARAN along the rivers of Germany and France from Berlin to the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris, accompanied by numerous activities with scientists and journalists on board, the German Ocean Foundation demonstrated how massively the ocean is already affected by climate change and how strongly the survival of humankind depends on a healthy ocean. 

Under the motto "RENEW", the German Ocean Foundation called for the consistent use of renewable energies and active climate and marine protection. "Only by immediately reducing CO2 emissions can the dramatic consequences for the ocean be reduced. The necessary technologies have long been available in Germany. Short-sighted actions shaped by lobbying must be replaced by long-term sustainable strategies and, above all, by cost-effective solar energy as a perspective for a peaceful global energy supply," emphasized climate researcher Prof. Hartmut Graßl at the start of the tour on 3 October 2015 in Hamburg. The highlights of the tour were an event in Strasbourg with the well-known climate researcher Moijb Latif and the visit of Prince Albert II of Monaco on board the ALDEBARAN in Paris for the climate summit. 

To the YouTube playlist of the RENEW Climate Sail

The ALDEBARAN spent several months in Belize, Central America, documenting the initial consequences of climate change. Together with ZDF, the crew found not only magically intact nature but also islands devastated and submerged by hurricanes as well as the first signs of a massive threat to the world's second largest coral barrier reef.

The crew of the ALDEBARAN spent several weeks travelling along the barrier reef with three camera teams, documenting in particular the fascinating underwater world of the coast. In Belize, the ALDEBARAN supported the transplantation of rare elk antler corals from an intact reef to the "Laughing Bird" sanctuary, whose coral gardens were destroyed by hurricane "Mitch".

The ALDEBARAN team produced films about climate change and its impending consequences for the 2007  Live Earth concert held in Hamburg. During the concert, six further short clips with fascinating underwater footage were included in the broadcast from Hamburg.