Marine competition - Archive

Hello, we are Greta, Frieda and Melissa from Baden-Württemberg. In our project, we are comparing the microclimate in seagrass meadows with the immediate surroundings and want to understand how such local systems influence the environment. Seagrass meadows not only provide a habitat for numerous marine animals, but also bind large amounts of carbon. They therefore play an important role in the fight against climate change.

After a ten-hour train journey, we arrived in Lübeck-Travemünde at around 4 p.m. on Monday. There we were warmly welcomed by Karen Ritter and Frank Schweikert and accompanied to the ALDEBARAN. After an initial briefing on the ship and the equipment, we took a walk through the town to the beach, where we went for a swim. We discovered jellyfish and other animals. 

Our work could finally begin on Tuesday. Before that, we had our daily briefing, where we discussed what we had to do that day. We then left the harbor and began our work. First, we used an underwater camera to search for a seagrass meadow, took water samples and carried out further measurements, including with the exoprobe. We then searched for an adjacent area without seagrass and repeated our measurements there. It took us a little longer on this day as we first had to familiarize ourselves with the equipment. 

On Wednesday, we went out again after the daily briefing. We were now a well-coordinated team, so the measurements were carried out quickly. Today we also carried out our measurements at two different locations. We were also allowed to steer the ALDEBARAN ourselves on the boat trip. We were back in the early evening, cooked dinner together and planned the rest of the schedule for Thursday. 

Today we had planned a longer trip to take measurements in a more distant area. So we sailed for two hours on the ALDEBARAN. During the trip, the conditions were so good that we were able to sail a bit. Once we arrived at our destination, we carried out our measurements again. Before heading back to the harbor, we did one last round in the water. 

Our departure was scheduled for Friday. After we had thoroughly cleaned up the ALDEBARAN, we were invited for a final farewell ice cream. We took a final group photo on the ship before returning to Lübeck to spend the last night there and start our journey home on Saturday morning. It was hard to say goodbye, but we can look back on a successful and interesting week. We are already looking forward to seeing you again! 

Hello, we are Damian, Linus and Mika. The aim of our project is to measure various environmental parameters in the Baltic Sea. These include, for example, the nitrate value or oxygen saturation. We also want to take a look at the thermocline layers and how the values there differ, as there is virtually no exchange between the different layers.

At midday, we were highly motivated at Immendingen main station. After a ten-hour journey, we arrived happy but also tired at Lübeck Central Station and made our way to the ALDEBARAN. Once on the ship, we went straight to bed.

We started Monday with a leisurely breakfast together. After breakfast and the morning briefing, it was time to get the ship ready for sea. Several tasks had to be completed on the ALDEBARAN, including raising the mast. We took the first samples in Lübeck harbor and tested our exo probe, the depth sounder and our photometer tests.

Today we started the day with breakfast together again. After the briefing, we did a few small things to the ship before setting sail and setting off. Around midday we got caught in a storm and had to wait a short time before we could start sampling. When the weather calmed down, we started taking samples and analyzing the data. After dinner, we went for a swim in the River Trave before going to bed.

Today we had to get up relatively early to pick up the MDR camera team in Travemünde. We also had breakfast in Travemünde. When the camera crew arrived, we couldn't leave immediately because of the rain and had to wait until the weather calmed down. When the MDR's work was done, we set off again for the idyllic bay on the River Trave. On the way there, we took samples, which we analyzed. We ended the evening in the same bay as yesterday.

When we got up today, we had to decide whether we should venture out into the Baltic Sea or continue investigating the Trave. As the weather was kind to us, we decided to take the samples in the Baltic Sea. On this day, we took three samples from the Baltic Sea and analyzed them until the evening.

Today, in addition to breakfast, we had to clean up and return the ship to the condition in which we had found it. Around midday we called a cab to take us to Lübeck main station. Before we said goodbye and headed back south, we took a photo together. A very exciting, instructive, but also beautiful and funny week lay behind us.

Hello, we are Jeppe, Kagan, Hanka and Mette, students of the Gymnasium Syke and the team "PFAS concentration in the sea". We want to investigate PFAS concentrations in the Trave and the Baltic Sea. We will measure PFAS in the soil and in organisms in order to evaluate how harmful the concentration of these pollutants is at the measuring points.

Today was our first day on board the ALDEBARAN. First we got to know the crew and received an introduction to life on the ship. For example, we learned a few knots and received a safety briefing. The storm warning did not allow us to sail on the Baltic Sea for the first few days, so we had to reschedule our destinations. We are looking forward to the coming days with great anticipation and can hardly wait to collect samples. After a jointly prepared dinner, we ended the day with a great, albeit cold, swimming session in the light of the setting sun.

On our first full day on the ship, we had breakfast on deck for the
first time and started sampling
after the briefing. We took sediment samples at the first two measuring points. Our
analysis: Jello from hell. Of course, we didn't find any creatures in this sediment that we actually wanted to
sample. As fishing for fish ourselves would have been very time-consuming
, we immediately found an alternative for the fish samples in Travemünde. In the
fishing port right next to our berth, we managed to organize fish livers from
the local fishermen. In the evening we still had enough time for
a walk through Travemünde, ate delicious pancakes and played a few rounds of UNO.

Unfortunately, the gale-force winds that were still blowing today
meant that we were unable to leave the harbor today. However, the plan to take a sample in the harbor went ahead anyway. In contrast to yesterday, we found a lot of biota today, including crabs, worms and mussels. The results of the water parameters measured with the probe showed us some possible
connections. We also met our science mentor Dr. Axel
Friedrich for the first time today. It was interesting to hear all the
things he has achieved in his life. After dinner together, we ended the day with a walk.

Today we were able to go out on the Baltic Sea for the first time and hoist the sails. As we have become an increasingly well-rehearsed team over the last few days, we were able to take the rehearsals quickly and consistently. Axel's company definitely enriched the trip. It is admirable how much he has been able to accomplish in his life. With each passing day we are allowed to take on more responsibility on board, we steer the ship from time to time and lend a helping hand with casting off and mooring maneuvers. On our last evening in Travemünde, after the hustle and bustle of the day, we thought a movie night was in order. Of course, only one movie came into question: Pirates of the Caribbean.

We started our last full day on the ALDEBARAN
again with breakfast together. We then welcomed the NDR team, who accompanied us during the rehearsals and filmed both Axel and us. Gaining experience had paid off and we worked better than ever before. After saying goodbye to the press team, we had lunch for the last time at
. Once again, the food was simply excellent. We then helped set up information stands for the Sea Foundation for the Sea Experience Days in Niendorf. We rounded off the last evening of our excursion with a meal on Niendorf's town beach. A wonderful end to a wonderful experience.

After our last breakfast together, we started to pack our things. It was interesting to meet the mayor of Niendorf. After lunch, we said goodbye to the team from the German Ocean Foundation. And so we made our way home, happy because of the new experiences and adventures, but also sad because the time had passed so quickly.