From 21.05. to 07.06.2024 I had the opportunity to do an internship at GEOMAR. As a part of this internship I had the chance to look into many different working groups at GEOMAR. I had been taken to the lab, gained some knowledge about research relevant software techniques and could help setting up the new mesocosms, to just name a few activities. The highlight of my internship was two day cruises with the research vessel ‘Alkor’, where we tested the interaction between the Crawler and the XploTaker. The XploTaker takes samples out of the water, which will be than analysed for their chemical compounds. This is relevant to determinant how much TNT and other chemicals are released from the munition in the water. Based on these data, a better decision can be made as to when or whether these munitions should be recovered. Overall, the cruises were an incredible experience. This was largely due to the fact, that the people on the ship were exceptionally open and shared a profound passion for the work with the Baltic Sea. Just as important as their commitment to the research was, that they ensured that I would understand what they do and that I could relate to it. As a result of that they all took lots of time to explain what was happening both in the Baltic Sea as well as on the ship.
Joschka Freiwald, 11th grade student at the Freien Waldorfschule Eckernförde
