Team Maritime Systeme beim Ostseetag 2025 in Stralsund: Gemeinsam für eine gesunde Ostsee und einen gesunden Menschen
Under the motto "Healthy Baltic Sea – Healthy People", Baltic Sea Day (Ostseetag) took place on June 6, 2025, around the OZEANEUM in Stralsund and we from the team Marine Biology were there. Together with Marine Technology, we presented the Department of Maritime Systems at the University of Rostock. Our goal was to demonstrate how natural, environmental, and engineering sciences understand and solve current challenges in the Baltic Sea. At our booth, visitors could experience two current research projects up close:
• The mussel with a heart: We showcased the blue mussel as a biological early warning system for environmental changes, live with a visible heartbeat! This approach is also used in international projects such as ACTNOW, where we collaborate with partners from science and practice to develop innovative early warning systems for water quality across European Seas.
• Old ammunition in the Baltic Sea is an underestimated risk: Around 300,000 tons of old munitions still lie on the seabed, releasing toxic and partly carcinogenic substances into the water. We demonstrated how we use modeling to calculate where this ammunition is aging fastest and should be recovered first.
Baltic Sea Day offered numerous opportunities for public engagement. In addition to our booth, visitors could tour research vessels, join discussion panels, or learn more about the state of the Baltic Sea at various themed stations. We are pleased that our work helped make scientific knowledge accessible and visible.