Sundanse Project

21/05/2026

Bonjour from Paris! 👋 The team has gathered in the heart of for our . This meeting marks a significant milestone: we are officially in the center of our 48-month journey! 🌟

Reaching the halfway point is the perfect time to pause, reflect, and strategise. We are spending these couple of days in Paris reviewing the progress made so far, from the latest data collected by the vessel to the successful closure of our first , while fine-tuning the roadmap for the final two years of the project. 🎯

Strategic discussions are in full swing as we align our next steps to ensure the best possible impact for the Danube-Black Sea system. 💡

P.S. Kudos to our amazing host: 🙌

13/05/2026

The SUNDANSE team has officially completed this leg of the mission aboard the . ⛴️ After days of intensive sampling and surveys along the , we are back at the docks. ⚓ The data we’ve gathered is a major step forward in understanding and protecting the Danube-Black Sea system.

All the we’ve collected are headed to the lab, and our experts are diving into the data to see exactly how the is changing. 🔬 In the meantime, you can check "behind the scenes" videos from our previous missions!

🔗 https://www.youtube.com/

A huge thank you to the crew and all our partners for a successful campaign. 🌟

Stay tuned for the results! 🤞

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08/05/2026

Our latest activity on the focuses on creating a high-tech baseline for the between Corabia and Turnu Măgurele. To do this, we are looking at three things simultaneously: how deep the water is, how fast it moves, and how the sand on the bottom is shifting. 🙌

But, what actually are we doing?

🟠 Mapping the floor: Using multi-beam sounders, we are mapping the riverbed in 3D to find and . By comparing this to our existing data, we can see exactly where the river is eroding or building up new land.

🟠 Measuring the current: Using (Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler), our teams from Universitatea „Dunărea de Jos” din Galați and Galati Lower Danube River Administration, A.A. are measuring water velocity and discharge across 11 different river-points.

🟠 Sampling the bottom: Working with our partners from Departman za hemiju, biohemiju i zaštitu životne sredine - PMF Novi Sad (University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Sciences), we are collecting from the riverbed to see how it moves at critical bends and narrow sections.

It’s a huge to ensure our measurements are consistent and scientifically solid. Great job, team! 🧡

06/05/2026

Over the last few days, the Universitatea „Dunărea de Jos” din Galați researches collected water, bedload, and suspended sediment samples. You can think of this as us doing the "blood test" for the river. 🧪💧

We are looking for a wide range of substances, from and to . 🧫 For the first time, we’ve added new monitoring stations in both and . This helps us fill in the gaps in our database and gives us a much better view of how pollutants move across borders.

All these samples are now headed to the lab for high-performance analysis. 🔬

05/05/2026

The third use case mission aboard is still in progress! 🛳️ The Universitatea „Dunărea de Jos” din Galați team has been busy collecting samples of benthic macroinvertebrates - the tiny organisms like snails, larvae, and worms that live at the bottom of the Danube. 🐌🪱🐚

These small creatures are like the river’s biological alarm systems. 🚨 Because they live in the and don't move far, they are perfect for showing us the real-time health of the water. Once we compare this data with our previous missions, we’ll have a much stronger understanding of how the is evolving over time. ⏳

Amazing, right? 😍 Stay tuned!

30/04/2026

On April 28, the research team moved into a specific sector of the river (km 601–609) to study something very important: how the speed of a boat actually changes the riverbed. 🚤

📊 We monitored four different areas with depths ranging from 3 to 10 meters. The goal was to see how sediment reacts when ships pass by at different speeds: controlled speeds at 10, 14, and 18 km/h and at approx. 9 km/h, which is a real traffic condition.

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿?

Every time a ship passes, it can disturb the riverbed. By combining these speed tests with surveys (mapping the depth and shape of the bottom), we can understand:

🟠 How navigation affects sediment transport.
🟠 If moving too fast mobilises pollutants trapped in the silt.
🟠 How to better manage river traffic to protect the ecosystem.

The samples are now headed to the lab to quantify exactly how much sediment was stirred up. It’s all about finding the balance between a busy transport route and a healthy river.

29/04/2026

The Universitatea „Dunărea de Jos” din Galați team has also been busy conducting suspended measurements across several key points on the river. 🙌

This data helps us understand how sediment is distributed and where it concentrates along the river. 🎯 By taking these measurements under real navigation conditions, we get a much more accurate picture of how the moves and changes. 💧

All the collected data will now be processed to map out these patterns, which is a big step forward for our work in the Romanian sector. 📊

The team is making great progress, so stay tuned for more updates from the water! 🚢

28/04/2026

Over the past few days, teammates from 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗘𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗨𝗸𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲 Національний екологічний центр України have been busy with water sampling across several sections of the river. 💧 We’ve covered quite a bit of ground, taking samples at km 180, 240, 288, 370, 430, 470, and 490.

are a major indicator of river health. By collecting these samples now and analysing them back in the lab, we can:
🟠 Measure the actual levels of in these specific sectors.
🟠 Better understand how these particles are transported by the current.
🟠 Help assess the overall quality of the .

It’s a lot of manual work on the deck, but the data we’re gathering is essential for protecting the river’s ecosystem.

Stay tuned for more updates as the mission continues! 🚢

27/04/2026

Last Friday, we officially kicked off the new mission for the Romanian use case, leaving the docks in Galați. 🛳️ This is a short story about this first few hours of the trip. 🧡

What exactly are we looking for on this mission?
🟠 : We’re taking samples to see how much plastic is actually hitching a ride in the current.
🟠 : We’re measuring how much sand and silt is suspended in the water to help understand how the riverbed is changing.

The is the perfect vessel for the job, and the team is ready for the long stretch ahead. 🙌 We’ll be sharing more updates as we move further along the Danube! 🌊

24/04/2026

Guess what⁉️ team has officially boarded the to begin our mission on the river! 🇷🇴 Focusing on the Romanian use case, our researchers are heading to tackle one of the river's biggest challenges: sediment management. Good luck, team! 🤞

Stay tuned for updates from the field, or should we say - the Danube! 💚

24/04/2026

Following , the team is sharing a little Friday inspiration. 📰 It’s a simple but an important reminder: there is no Planet B. 🌍 From the soil beneath our feet to the rivers and oceans that connect us, every ecosystem matters. Let's commit to protecting what we have, for all beings and for the generations to come. 💧💙

Happy reading and have a wonderful weekend!
🔗 https://eurid.eu/el/news/earth-day-2026-our-power-our-planet/