Research at sea competition Team 3 underway in the Baltic Sea

The five-day sailing expedition on the research vessel ALDEBARAN was the highlight of their research project so far. Equipped with a remote-controlled diving robot, an EXO probe and a pile scraper, they investigated 15 sites along the coast from Greifswald to Rostock. Luise Koball (17) and Arian Wulf (18) are looking into the mass spread of the Australian lime tubeworm, an invasive species found in thesee waters since 2020, which infests ship hulls and hydraulic engineering structures.

Despite conditions similar to those in Rostock and a meticulous search, the team did not find the tubeworm at most of the locations examined in Western Pomerania except Rostock. Boat owners in these areas can therefore breathe a sigh of relief for the time-being.