On a human scale, something that measures 5 millimeters (about a fifth of an inch) probably doesn’t register as large enough to be worthy of much attention. And given that perception, it can be hard to imagine that something so small could make much of an impact on a person, Read more…
There are certain animals you expect to find in a body of freshwater like the Tennessee River: Catfish, turtles, ducks, darters, maybe a snake or two. What you don’t expect? Jellyfish. Yet, as unlikely as it may seem, as Dr. Andreas Fath continues his point-to-point navigation of all 652 miles Read more…
When Dr. Andreas Fath started the Rheines Wasser project to swim and analyze the water quality along the entirety of Germany’s Rhine River in 2014, he began in Switzerland’s frigid Lake Toma. At the time, he was surrounded by the geographic grandeur of the Alps and dipping into water that Read more…
For scientists, biodiversity is a critical measurement of an ecosystem’s ecological richness. The higher the biodiversity, the more plant and animal species that can be found in a particular location. According to a 2016 study created through a partnership between the Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute (TNACI) and the University of Read more…
Having crossed more than 120 miles and with a stopping point near Dayton, Tenn., in his sights, Dr. Andreas Fath is making incredibly swift progress in TenneSwim, his epic project to swim and analyze the entire Tennessee River. In addition to the project’s world record potential and its unprecedented scientific Read more…
When Dr. Andreas Fath began this ambitious project, he entered the headwaters of the Tennessee River just a few miles downstream from Seven Islands State Birding Park. This 416-acre park occupies a peninsula embraced by a curve of the French Broad River, one of the Tennessee’s two primary feeder waterways Read more…