Research at Sea competiton 2025: young researchers set clear priorities for protecting the ocean and the River Elbe
Düsseldorf/Hamburg, January 2026 – The winning projects of the German Ocean Foundation's 2025 Research at Sea competition were celebrated at boot 2026 in Düsseldorf. All three student teams from Tuttlingen, Hamburg and Kiel were declared winners by the jury for achieving outstanding scientific results under very different conditions. All projects dealt with key forms of pollution in the ocean and the River Elbe – from pollutants in shipwrecks to PFAS and microplastics – and clearly show that the protection of aquatic ecosystems is a very high priority for young people. The awards were presented by Frank Schweikert, Director of the German Ocean Foundation, and Petros Michelidakis, Director of boot Düsseldorf. The laudatory speech was given by Dr. Axel Friedrich, who praised the students' work as scientifically sound and highly relevant to society, stating: “The only solution is to stop the release of pollutants into the environment – clear and binding legal regulations are needed that consistently prohibit these releases.”
The student team Lena Dreeßen and Sarah Sophie Carls from the Holstein Mitte private school/Louisenlund Foundation researched wrecks in the Baltic Sea and found that there are currently no acute risks to fish and bathers, but that the long-term impact of the wrecks remains unclear and must be further monitored.
The team of Melissa Horras, Teresa Hauser, and Theresa Unz from the South Württemberg Student Research Center (Tuttlingen) detected four of 35 PFAS substances examined in seaweed and algae samples, with significantly higher concentrations in seaweed and locally elevated levels in the Trave estuary, and recommend further investigation and stricter discharge regulations.
Students Quynh Anh Chu, Vanessa Adu Mensuoh, and Maria Fernanda Salazar Clemente from Struensee Gymnasium found microplastics in all water and plankton samples taken from the River Elbe , demonstrating that significant amounts are entering the North Sea and the ocean via the river.
The Research at Sea competition
The competition has been run by the German Ocean Foundation since 2005 and enables schoolchildren from all over Germany to conduct their own research on current marine conservation issues under real expedition conditions aboard the research and media vessel ALDEBARAN. The competition is part of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development and promotes scientific work, ocean literacy, and social responsibility. Images of the event can be downloaded from this link.
Press contact German Ocean Foundation
Katrin Heratsch
German Ocean Foundation
media@meeresstiftung.de
Tel: +49 (0) 40 22 85 89 0 14
