Moin!
(“Hello” in Northern Germany)
I am Anne and I study B.Sc. Marine Geosciences at the University of Bremen. On this cruise, I am working with Dr. Katharina Streuff from the MARUM institute, based in Bremen. As the cruise goes on, we scan the seafloor bathymetry (Multibeam Echosounder ME122 and ME712) and the sediments (Parasound) to get data about what the seafloor looks like. Additionally, we run a mammal watch to keep a look out for animals that might be scared by the ship’s activities so that we can minimize our environmental footprint.
After our watches, we also process the data on board and use it to help the coring and oceanography teams pick their station locations. The goal of the Hydroacoustics teams is to scan unknown regions and help the coring team to make better decisions about where to take a MUC or Gravity core. While we can scan the seafloor all day, coring activities take longer, at least 3 hours just to process one core, so we have to make sure we chose perfect coring sites!
Besides doing the Hydroacoustics, I aim to have a look at every working group on board, help where I can and get as much new insights as possible. Everybody here has lots of expertise in different fields and I always like to have a good chat about what they’re doing. I am working on a video diary about this cruise which I hope to share with you later 
So far I was super lucky: I didn’t got sea sick, love the food on board and also made some new friends. Working as a team and supporting each other is super important, cause we work together around-the-clock and have lots to do. Today I woke up in the Lindenow Fjord, which has one of the most beautiful views I have ever seen and lots of sunshine! We met another ship this morning, which had a helicopter delivering supplies to remote villages and stations in this sparsely populated part of the world.
Being only in my second year of studying, this cruise gives me a lot of oceanography experience and I am super grateful for this chance. This is my first time working on a ship, seeing Iceland & Greenland as well as being further up then 62° North.
Sunny Greetings from the Hydroacoustics team!
This fall, Ocean Conservancy is celebrating its 41st annual International Coastal Cleanup® (ICC), once again bringing together volunteers to protect the beaches and waterways we all love. Ocean Conservancy recently hosted flagship events in Long Beach and Washington, D.C. that celebrated this global movement close to home.
Over the past four decades, nearly 20 million volunteers have rolled up their sleeves to remove more than 405 million pounds of trash from beaches and waterways around the world. And their impact extends far beyond what they collect. ICC volunteers have documented nearly 440 million individual items, creating the world’s largest marine debris database and providing invaluable information that helps Ocean Conservancy and others better understand—and tackle—ocean plastic pollution.
This year’s celebration continued that incredible legacy. At Alamitos Beach in Southern California, more than 150 volunteers gathered on September 19 and removed 1,109 pounds of trash, alongside members of Team USA Artistic Swimming and Olympic and Paralympic athletes. In Washington, D.C., 439 volunteers gathered on September 26 to remove 2,182 pounds of trash from Anacostia Park along the Anacostia River.
“I am so grateful to all of the volunteers who came out today for our ocean—and every volunteer who has made the last 41 years of impact possible,” said Ocean Conservancy’s Senior Director of Conservation Cleanups, Allison Schutes. “Every piece of plastic collected helps protect marine animals and habitats and contributes to research and advocacy.”
And the impact doesn’t stop when the cleanup ends. During International Coastal Cleanup events, volunteers do more than remove trash: They document what they find, helping build a clearer picture of the plastic pollution threatening our waterways and wildlife. Through the Clean Swell® app or paper data sheets, ICC volunteers contribute to Ocean Conservancy’s online, open-access database, the world’s largest repository of marine debris data. These records help scientists, conservation groups and governments understand pollution trends and identify solutions.
That data can also drive meaningful policy change. ICC data were recently used in a peer-reviewed study showing that plastic bag bans lead to reduced plastic bag pollution. The data have also helped advance policies ranging from California’s SB 54 to Florida’s balloon release ban and the federal Farewell to Foam Act. From a neighborhood cleanup to statewide action, every piece of documented trash helps build the evidence needed to tackle plastic pollution at its source.
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Want to get involved?
Whether you join a local cleanup, record the trash you find using the Clean Swell app, or take action to reduce plastic pollution, you can be part of this incredible collective effort to protect our ocean. Here are a few ways to make an impact:
- Find a cleanup near you.
- Download our Clean Swell app to easily record the trash you collect.
- Take action to reduce plastic pollution.
- Explore our Wildlife Impact Calculator to estimate the potential benefits of your cleanup for marine wildlife.
- Donate today to Ocean Conservancy to help us fight plastic pollution for years to come!
The post Celebrating 41 Years of the International Coastal Cleanup® appeared first on Ocean Conservancy.
For generations, stories of people being swallowed by enormous sea creatures have painted awe-inspiring tales of human survival and perseverance. From the biblical account of Jonah to the legendary battle of Hercules and Cetus to the timeless story of Pinocchio, these legendary tales have captivated people since time immemorial.
But all these stories raise the question: Could someone really be swallowed by a whale? With the premiere of the film Whalefall on October 16, 2026, you may find yourself in conversations about this very situation. Based on the bestselling 2023 thriller authored by Daniel Kraus, the film tells the story of a scuba diver who is accidentally gobbled up by a sperm whale while searching for the remains of his late father. With only an hour of oxygen left in his tank, the diver must fight to escape the whale’s gut before time runs out.
The answer to whether it’s anatomically possible for a whale to swallow a person is actually a bit more complicated than you might think.
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