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The latest news and articles from marine research on the largest habitat on earth and its far-reaching significance for humanity.

Themen aus der öffentlichen Debatte

Focus

Karte von Norddeutschland mit gekennzeichneten Gebieten Munitionsversenkung, Munitionbelastete FLäche, Munitionsverdachtsfällen. — Karte: Nach Böttcher et al. 2011, in DAM Factsheet Munition im Meer.

> Ammunition

Munition im Meer – Sachstand und Perspektiven

Kampfmittel im Meer sind eine Bedrohung für die Meeresumwelt und ein Nachhaltigkeitsrisiko für die Bewirtschaftung der Meere. Zum Ausmaß dieser Bedrohung und dem zukünftigen Umgang mit der Altlast wird intensiv geforscht.

DAM

Insight

Cumulonimbus Wolke über Meereshorizont vom Forschungsschiff Sonne aus fotografiert.

> The Ocean as a Climate Buffer

The Ocean as a Climate Buffer

Only in the past few decades have we humans become aware of the crucial role the ocean plays in the Earth's climate system and how it is changing itself due to climate change.

Meere Online

Multimedia

> Marine Engergy

Planungsgebiete Offshore Windparks

Die interaktive Karte des Helmholtz-Zentrums Hereon zeigt Lage und Größe der Offshore-Windparks und Schutzgebiete in Nord- und Ostsee für die Szenarienplanung.

Hereon

Multimedia

> Restoration

Die Wiederansiedlung der Europäischen Auster

Die Europäische Auster übernimmt wichtige Ökosystemfunktionen in ihrem Lebensraum. Sie gilt in der deutschen Nordsee derzeit als ausgestorben und soll in einem Projekt am Alfred-Wegener-Institut wiederangesiedelt werden.

AWI

Website

> Plastic Litter

Runder Tisch Meeresmüll

Eine Informationsplattform für alle relevanten Interessensgruppen über die Koordinierung und Umsetzung nationaler Maßnahmen gegen Meeresmüll. Rund 130 Expert:innen unterstützen die Arbeit des Runden Tisches, der 2016 ins Leben gerufen wurde.

UBA

Press Releases from Marine Research by Informationsdienst Wissenschaft (idw)

idw (Informationsdienst Wissenschaft)

2024-10-25 10:00 AM — idw

Shedding Light on the Ocean’s Twilight Zone: EU Twinning Project to Investigate Deep-Sea Food Webs around Madeira

GEOMAR Helmholtz-Zentrum für Ozeanforschung Kiel

25 October 2024/Kiel/Funchal. A kick-off meeting was held yesterday in Funchal, Madeira, to officially launch the EU Twinning project TWILIGHTED. Over the next three years, GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel will work as the German partner alongside institutions from Norway and Portugal to explore the twilight zone in waters around Madeira. At the same time, marine research in Madeira will be strengthened through knowledge transfer, with the goal to establish a long-term partnership with the Portuguese institute. TWILIGHTED is funded by the EU through Horizon Europe with 1.5 million euros.

2024-10-24 03:49 PM — idw

AI model for aquatic biodiversity

Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon

In the AqQua project Hereon is involved in monitoring global populations of organisms in water

Plankton and organic particles take up carbon from the atmosphere, transporting it from the water’s surface to the deep sea. As a result, the Earth’s climate is heavily influenced by life in the water. The AqQua project aims to determine how many of these microscopic organisms exist globally, how they are distributed, and how these patterns are changing due to climate change. Researchers are analyzing billions of images for this purpose. The Helmholtz Foundation Model Initiative (HFMI) is funding the project. Hereon is involved through its Institute for Carbon Cycles.

2024-10-23 12:56 PM — idw

Breathing deep: A metabolic secret of ethane-consuming archaea unraveled

Max-Planck-Institut für Marine Mikrobiologie

Scientists from Bremen, Germany, characterize novel enzymes from deep-sea microbes with a key function in the ethane degradation process, revealing surprises in the metabolism of these organisms.

2024-10-23 10:32 AM — idw

Storing CO2, but the right way

Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon

Two Hereon studies call for clear framework conditions for CO2 sequestration in coastal areas

A digital twin for projections, an independent body for certification and new legal structures for monitoring. This should help projects for CO2 storage in coastal areas, according to two recent studies with lead authorship or participation of the Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon. The two papers were recently published in Environmental Research Letters and Elementa. The expertise of the Hereon authors is primarily aimed at politics and business.

2024-10-23 10:31 AM — idw

Rapid genome analysis of a Whippet sighthound sets new standard for biodiversity research

Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung

The continuing global loss of biodiversity is making it increasingly necessary to rapidly collect and analyse genetic information on endangered species. In a joint project, the Department of Human Genetics at Bioscientia Institute for Medical Diagnostics GmbH in Ingelheim am Rhein and the LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics (LOEWE-TBG) in Frankfurt, both in Germany, have sequenced and analysed the complete genome of a Whippet sighthound in less than a week. This advance could have a lasting impact on genome research in species and biodiversity conservation. The study has been published in the journal “GigaByte”.

2024-10-22 02:29 PM — idw

Tipping Points as Indicators of Positive Change

Forschungsinstitut für Nachhaltigkeit Helmholtz-Zentrum Potsdam

As global climate targets tighten, radical and disruptive changes are becoming inevitable. In this context, the concept of tipping points, by which small changes can trigger rapid systemic transformation, is attracting increasing attention in the social sciences. In a new study published in the journal Global Environmental Change, a team from the Research Institute for Sustainability – Helmholtz Centre Potsdam (RIFS) draws on two case studies to show that socio-technical tipping points can be anticipated.

2024-10-17 12:22 PM — idw

New Method for Measuring Luminescence Lifetime Offers Breakthrough in Scientific Imaging

Max-Planck-Institut für Marine Mikrobiologie

Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Leibniz-Institute for Baltic Sea Research and University of Copenhagen introduce an innovative approach to image luminescence lifetimes. This simple approach uses readily-available cost-effective equipment, paving the way for advanced studies of chemical dynamics in environmental and biological systems. For example, it allows to record oxygen dynamics with much higher temporal and spatial precision.

2024-10-15 09:57 AM — idw

AWI Director Antje Boetius will join the renowned Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) in California

Alfred-Wegener-Institut, Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung

In spring 2025, the Director of the Alfred Wegener Institute, Prof Antje Boetius, will be appointed president of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) in California. MBARI is one of the most esteemed institutes for marine research and technologies. Based on the US Pacific Coast, it specializes in exploring the deep sea and its unknown diversity of life. “This position will give me a unique opportunity to contribute to the development of innovative deep-sea technologies with a focus on imaging, robotics, sensor systems and AI,” says the marine biologist.

2024-10-14 10:57 AM — idw

Does Underwater Munitions Clearance affect the Marine Environment?

GEOMAR Helmholtz-Zentrum für Ozeanforschung Kiel

10/14/2024/Kiel. Today, the research vessel ALKOR embarks on an expedition in the Bay of Lübeck. The aim is to study the effects of munitions clearance on the marine environment. Four weeks ago, pilot UXO clearance operations began in the areas of Haffkrug and Pelzerhaken. These operations are closely monitored and supported by GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel.

2024-10-11 04:17 PM — idw

Comprehensive assessment of the changing Central Arctic Ocean

Alfred-Wegener-Institut, Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung

Sparse sea ice, thousands of datapoints and samples, a surprising number of animals and hydrothermal vents – those are the impressions and outcomes that an international research team is now bringing back from a Polarstern expedition to the Central Arctic. After a four-month-long Arctic season, the Alfred Wegener Institute’s research icebreaker is expected to arrive back in Bremerhaven with the morning high tide on Sunday.

2024-10-11 01:26 PM — idw

A New Chapter in the Study of Plate Tectonics: Second of Six Planned TRANSFORMERS Expeditions underway

GEOMAR Helmholtz-Zentrum für Ozeanforschung Kiel

10/11/2024/Kiel. METEOR cruise M204 is the second of six planned TRANSFORMERS expeditions. Led by Professor Dr Ingo Grevemeyer from the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, the research team will investigate the Oceanographer Transform Fault Zone, located southwest of the Azores. The aim of the expedition is to gain new insights into the seismic activity and geological processes at this largely unexplored plate boundary.

2024-10-09 11:12 AM — idw

Heavy Metals in the Ocean Become More Toxic: How Climate Change Impacts Contaminants in the Sea

GEOMAR Helmholtz-Zentrum für Ozeanforschung Kiel

09 October 2024/Kiel. Toxic trace elements such as lead, mercury, arsenic, and cadmium naturally occur in small quantities in coastal seas. However, human activities, such as industry and agriculture, contribute significantly larger amounts. A new study has examined how climate change already affects the distribution and accumulation of these elements and how it could impact them in the future. One of the findings: Climate-related natural events are releasing more contaminants, which pose a risk to both human and animal health. However, there is still insufficient knowledge about how these contaminants will behave in the future.

2024-10-08 12:07 PM — idw

Exploring genetic diversity: Dr Deborah Leigh is new Professor of Genomic Biomonitoring in Frankfurt/Main, Germany

Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung

Deborah Leigh's goal is to explore the genetic diversity of living organisms and support their conservation. As the newly appointed Professor of Genomic Biomonitoring in Frankfurt/Main, Germany, she is building a bridge between basic and applied research. She now heads one of the Hessian LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics (TBG) four programme areas. Prof. Leigh's appointment is part of a joint appointment between the Senckenberg Society for Nature Research, where the LOEWE Centre TBG is based, and the Goethe University Frankfurt, where she is also a member of the Faculty of Biological Sciences.

2024-10-01 04:55 PM — idw

Outstanding Bachelor Thesis on Ocean Modelling: Graduate Lasse Kummer Receives Otto Krümmel Prize 2024

GEOMAR Helmholtz-Zentrum für Ozeanforschung Kiel

10/01/2024/Kiel. Lasse Kummer, graduate of the Physics of the Earth System programme, has investigated how different resolutions of a computer model of the ocean impact the representation of current systems and ocean eddies. In his bachelor’s thesis, conducted at the Marine Meteorology research unit at GEOMAR, he developed valuable analytical tools. Today, the young scientist was awarded the Otto Krümmel Prize 2024 in Kiel. The award, endowed with €1,500, is given annually by the Society for the Promotion of the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel e.V. for outstanding bachelor’s degrees in the field of ocean research.

2024-10-01 01:53 PM — idw

Where Leading Countries Stand in the Transition to Renewable Heating, Road Transport and Electricity

Forschungsinstitut für Nachhaltigkeit Helmholtz-Zentrum Potsdam

The sluggish rate of progress made in the energy transition is putting the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050 at risk. On the positive side, with early warning indicators guiding timely and targeted interventions, we can accelerate progress across several domains. An international study by the Research Institute for Sustainability - Helmholtz Centre Potsdam (RIFS) in cooperation with the Bertelsmann Stiftung provides an approach to evaluate the electricity, private transport and building heating sectors.

2024-10-01 11:22 AM — idw

Change of Leadership at MARUM

MARUM - Zentrum für Marine Umweltwissenschaften an der Universität Bremen

MARUM – Center for Marine Environmental Sciences at the University of Bremen has a new director. Prof. Kai-Uwe Hinrichs was elected for a term of six years and will take over from the current director, Prof. Michael Schulz, on October 1, 2024.

2024-09-25 06:00 AM — idw

Citizen scientists help discover microplastics along the entire German coastline

Alfred-Wegener-Institut, Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung

The global production of plastic has increased to such an extent that plastics have become ubiquitous in our environment. Plastic of various sizes are also found on the German North Sea and Baltic Sea coasts. In the citizen science project “Microplastic Detectives”, researchers from the Alfred Wegener Institute, together with citizens, have now collected samples from beaches along the entire German coast to be analyzed for microplastics. The resulting dataset is the first to be large enough to make reliable estimates of the state of the pollution along the entire German coastline. The team is publishing its findings in the journal Frontiers in Environmental Science.

2024-09-16 10:30 AM — idw

Study on the sinking of the “Melanie Schulte”

Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon

Hereon researchers have reconstructed one of the worst shipwrecks in German trade history

In 1952, the freighter MS “Melanie Schulte” sank in the Atlantic. Wreckage suggests that the ship broke apart. The cause of this could never be finally clarified. Researchers from the Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon have now investigated whether exceptionally high waves and a particularly strong storm could have led to the sinking of the freighter.

2024-09-12 10:28 AM — idw

AI against corrosion

Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon

The CHAI joint project aims to optimize corrosion management in ports and waterways

The federal state of Schleswig-Holstein is funding the CHAI research project with a total of 900,000 euros. The project is being led by the Helmholtz Center Hereon. The partners are the Port of Kiel, Christian Albrechts Universität zu Kiel (CAU) and AC Korro-Service GmbH. CHAI stands for “Clever corrosion management for ports and waterways in Schleswig-Holstein using automated infrastructure monitoring”. The aim is to use AI to better detect and predict corrosion damage in maritime areas.

2024-09-12 10:07 AM — idw

Expedition SO307 Investigates the Geology and Biology of the Madagascar Ridge

GEOMAR Helmholtz-Zentrum für Ozeanforschung Kiel

12 September 2024/Kiel. Today, the research vessel SONNE sets off on an expedition to the southwestern Indian Ocean. From 12 September to 28 October 2024, a team of 25 scientists, led by PD Dr Jörg Geldmacher from the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, will investigate the seabed south of Madagascar. Expedition SO307 will focus on geological and biological investigations to improve the understanding of the geology and biology of the seabed and seawater south of Madagascar.

2024-09-11 05:56 PM — idw

A look back on 50,000 years of South Pacific hydroclimate shows: How wet it gets on earth also depends on its tilt

Leibniz-Institut für Ostseeforschung Warnemünde

Understanding the causes of changing humidity and precipitation in the earth's past is crucial for better assessments of the planet’s future hydroclimate changes through improved modelling. A research team led by the Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research Warnemünde (IOW) has now for the first time analysed 50,000 years of mid-latitude hydroclimate of the South-East Pacific using special moisture related indicators in marine sediment cores. The most important result is that natural variations in the earth's orbital parameters exert a decisive influence. The study was recently published in the renowned scientific journal Nature Communications.

2024-09-06 11:00 AM — idw

Hijacking the Command Center of the Cell: Nuclear Parasites in Deep-Sea Mussels

Max-Planck-Institut für Marine Mikrobiologie

Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology now reveal how a bacterial parasite infects and reproduces in the nuclei of deep-sea mussels from hydrothermal vents and cold seeps. They show how a single bacterial cell invades the mussel’s nucleus where it reproduces to over 80,000 cells, while ensuring that its host cell stays alive.

2024-09-04 02:26 PM — idw

Half-time for the tropical cloud experiment

Max-Planck-Institut für Meteorologie

MPI-M researchers and their partner institutions are currently performing atmospheric measurements over the equatorial Atlantic with eight coordinated measurement campaigns. They want to find out what controls the structure of the tropical rain belt, how it will change in the future and what this means for weather patterns. A variety of state-of-the-art research platforms are being used for the measurements – from ships to satellites.

2024-09-04 11:00 AM — idw

Photosynthesis in near darkness - Research team publishes new results of the MOSAiC project

Alfred-Wegener-Institut, Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung

Photosynthesis can take place in nature even at extremely low light levels, a study that investigated the development of Arctic microalgae at the end of the polar night shows. The measurements were carried out as part of the MOSAiC expedition and revealed that microalgae can build up biomass through photosynthesis in the Arctic Ocean as early as the end of March, when the sun is barely above the horizon. The results now published in Nature Communications show that photosynthesis in the ocean is possible under much lower light conditions, and can therefore take place at much greater depths, than previously assumed.

2024-08-29 12:05 PM — idw

Artificial intelligence (AI) Allows Peering into the Deep: High-Resolution 3D Tracking of Coral Reef Fish

Leibniz-Zentrum für Marine Tropenforschung (ZMT)

A study by the Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT) is employing new methods in coral reef research. Under the leadership of fish ecologist Dr Julian Lilkendey, an international research team utilised innovative AI technologies to analyse the movements of reef fish in the Red Sea with high precision.

The federal government and the governments of the five northern German states support the current development and sponsor the DAM