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Expedition

Ocean Change 2026

From knowledge to action

The ocean is our planet’s most powerful indicator of climate change – and it is changing faster than humanity can respond. The OCEAN CHANGE expedition series is our contribution to understanding these changes and sharing key findings with the world.
For many years, our project has been investigating how climate change is altering the oceans and making scientific data accessible to everyone – openly, freely and worldwide.

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A daring expedition to the Arctic

In the summer of 2026, our venerable expedition ship, the Dagmar Aaen, will set sail once again. With an experienced crew, it will sail from Germany via Iceland and Greenland to the remote regions of Arctic Canada, before continuing along the stunning coastlines of Labrador and Newfoundland. The ship will spend the winter there before the expedition resumes in 2027.

Science for all – driven by passion, not profit.

In collaboration with GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research and other leading scientific institutions, we collect key oceanographic and climate-related data such as: temperature, chlorophyll, oxygen, salinity, microplastics, CO₂, ocean currents and weather data.

All data is collected on a voluntary basis and made available openly and free of charge as part of a global citizen science initiative – for research institutions, universities and anyone who wishes to understand our changing planet.

OCEAN CHANGE is a wholly private, non-profit initiative: we receive no public funding, and our crew works entirely on a voluntary basis – united by a shared mission and a passion for the oceans and polar regions.

The Crew
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Logbook
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Important points of the expedition

Ocean Change 2026

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Our goal: healthy oceans

We want to inspire people around the world to demand informed policy action – and to translate scientific findings into concrete action. Because protecting our oceans means protecting our climate, our future and the world we leave to future generations.

In 2026, OCEAN CHANGE proudly enters its eleventh year – a testament to commitment, perseverance and the belief that every individual can make a difference.

Drawing on decades of expedition experience, Arved Fuchs reports on the rapid changes in the Arctic: shrinking sea ice, rising temperatures and global feedback effects. The central question is how citizen science, communication and public engagement can be made more effective. The Arctic acts as an early warning system – the melting sea ice is a sign of global change with direct implications for extreme weather events, the economy and health. Facts are non-negotiable – yet translating them into political action requires clear communication, public engagement and decisive measures.

Climate action begins not only in government buildings, but in the daily decisions of every individual.

Why do we find it so difficult to translate scientific facts into political action?

By participating in the ‘Citizen Science’ pilot project ‘Sailing for Oxygen’ (organised by GEOMAR and Trans-Ocean e.V.), Arved Fuchs wants to encourage other sailing crews to actively participate in the collection of marine data in the Baltic Sea. 


A camera attached to the jib boom of the Dagmar Aaen will be used to photograph the seawater throughout the expedition. The colour of the water alone provides scientists with valuable information on the ecological status.

The data collected here flows into the international ‘Citizen Science’ project EyeOnWater, in which people around the world are participating. Arved Fuchs wants to show how easily we can all support marine research with a smartphone and the EyeOnWater app.

How can climate science be communicated more effectively?

A key approach is communication: content must be visible where people spend their time – increasingly in digital spaces and on social media. Arved Fuchs and OCEAN CHANGE take people on digital expeditions and make scientific findings accessible. Rather than traditional lecturing or moralising, what is needed are accessible, relatable formats that are relevant to everyday life and encourage participation.

How can citizen science help to strengthen climate action?

Citizen science initiatives, participatory measurement projects and accessible formats have great potential for disseminating scientific knowledge widely. One example is the BELUGA platform, which not only shows the expedition around the clock, but also makes real-time measurement data from the research vessel available free of charge via satellite. Such participatory formats raise awareness of specific environmental changes, promote understanding and can increase public pressure on policy-makers.

UN Ocean Decade

Arved Fuchs, ambassador of the German committee of the current UN Ocean Decade and contemporary witness of climate change, has dedicated his life to protecting the polar regions and the oceans for over 40 years.

He and his international crew have already covered more than 45,000 nautical miles around the Atlantic and the "Gulf Stream" (AMOC - Atlantic meridional overturning circulation) on the ice-going sailing cutter Dagmar Aaen on the "OCEAN CHANGE" series of expeditions.

This year's leg is already the fourth "Dagmar Aaen" expedition, which will provide important data on the effects of the overheated Atlantic on the marine environment.

Depending on the weather, we are expected to arrive in Nova Scotia in early to mid-September.

Our globally popular coverage via social media, this website, the BELUGA expedition navigator, the expedition podcast, partnerships such as that with the Society for Maritime Technology (Gesellschaft für Maritime Technik e.V.), and through the media will, of course, continue.

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At the same time, videos and interviews from the adventurous life on board are sent to Arved Fuchs' professional shore crew.

Prepared for different playout channels, we provide you with exciting content here, via tiktok, Podcast,  facebook, twitter, insta und youtube.

All information about the expedition OCEAN CHANGE can be found here.

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