ALKOR AL590

The three excursions MecoMM I-III are an integral part of the proposed research project CONMAR and deal with the ecological effects of deposited munition in the German Baltic Sea. They are directly linked to the POS520, AL548 and AL567 cruises, which were researching and are still researching this topic as part of the UDEMM and BASTA project. The cruises are planned for 2023 and 2024. In 2022, there will be another granted cruise of the BASTA project. This ensures complete monitoring over several years.
The special objectives of MecoMM I-III deal a) with the secure inventory of the existing munition (type, number, condition), b) with the chemical contamination by explosives typical compounds in the water column and in the sediment, c) the biological contamination of fauna and flora by munition, d) the change of the ecosystem by introducing artificial 'hard grounds' and the habitats that have developed around it for more than 75 years.
GEOMAR, AWI and Senkenberg am Meer will be significantly involved in the cruise and will be supported by toxicologists from the UKSH, engineers from the University of Rostock and oceanographers from the IOW. In addition to standard devices for biological and chemical sampling (TV-MiniMUC, VanVeen gripper, beam trawl, CTD with water creator), newly developed observation and 'in-situ' analysis devices are also used (AUVs with cameras, multibeam, magnetic sensors; XOFOS with multibeam, magnetic sensors; ExPloTector for immediate analysis of STVs in discrete water samples or pumped samples) and state-of-the-art analysis methods (AI-based munition detection, photogrammetric 3D reconstruction and photomosaiking).
The aim of the three cruises is to provide clear decision-making support to the federal states and the federal government as to where and
how an evacuation and final disposal of the munition contaminated sites in the German Baltic Sea should begin, and what negative consequences non-disposal on different space and time scales would be expected.