Experience Marine Research First-Hand

July 9, 2015 GEOMAR Open House in Kiel on 12 July 2015 How dangerous is plastic waste in the ocean? How much World War II munitions is there still left in the sea? Are there actually robots on the seabed at this very moment? These and many other questions will be answered by scientists at the Open House this Sunday at the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel. Even today, the seabed of the deep seas remains largely unexplored. There's much we don't know about what lies beneath the surface – but not for long. New autonomous deep-sea crawlers are being developed to shed light onto this. One of them – called VIATOR – is been developed at GEOMAR with collaboration from partners from the aerospace industry. VIATOR makes its first public debut at the open house. Besides VIATOR, many other devices go on show at the open house, like the remotely-controlled underwater vehicle ROV PHOCA, as well as seismometers that can cause a minor earthquake. Stop by at our information booths and take part in hands-on activities. Employees of GEOMAR are on hand if you have any further questions about the exhibits. There are also exciting and informative lectures, covering topics from the problem of ammunition-contaminated sites in the North and Baltic Seas, volcanoes on the seafloor and plastic waste in the sea. If you've ever wondered what it takes to be an oceanographer, or what takes place on a research vessel, here's your chance! Step on board the research vessel ALKOR, which is moored at the Schwentine river mouth.