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Ocean Use

Fishing, seaweed farming, wind energy, shipping, beach holidays - coasts, seas and oceans are used in many different ways. Sustainable use of natural resources is crucial.

Overview
> Ocean Use

Utilisation of coasts, seas and oceans

Fishing, seaweed farming, wind energy, shipping, beach holidays - coasts, seas and oceans are used in many different ways. Sustainable use of natural resources is crucial.

Meere Online
Insight
Red and grey oil platform in the ocean against a grey sky
Picture: Grant Durr, Unsplash
> Marine Energy

Offshore Wind Energy

Generating energy from renewable sources is becoming increasingly important; including offshore wind farms, whose expansion is being actively promoted in many countries.

Meere Online
Insight
A ship with four fisherman and a lots of red king crab in a metal container.
Picture: Jeff Hester, Ocean Image Bank
> Fisheries and Aquaculture

Fisheries and Aquaculture

Fish and seafood are among the most widely traded foods in the world; but only sustainable management can ensure their preservation and their contribution to tackling the climate and biodiversity crises.

Meere Online
Insight
So-called nodule frames for a deep-sea manganese nodule recolonisation experiment.
Picture: ROV Team, GEOMAR
> Mineral Resources

Deep-Sea Mining

Untapped ore deposits lie in the depths of the oceans; plans for extraction are underway, yet the impact on the delicate deep-sea ecosystems remains largely unknown.

Meere Online
Insight
Transport ships and car ferry Sehestedt in the Kiel Canal.
Picture: Erich Westendarp, Pixabay
> Shipping and Transportation

Shipping and Transportation

Waterways are essential for international trade. An increasing amount of goods are being transported across the oceans, and cruises are becoming more popular.

Meere Online
Insight
Sunny beach at the german island usedom with beach chairs.
Picture: Kalle H., Pixabay
> Recreation and Culture

Recreational and Cultural Space

The seas are deeply rooted in human cultures. They are places of longing, sources of relaxation and inspiration for millions who cherish and enjoy coastal and marine nature.

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Focus
Several wind turbines at the ocean, the wind farm Rampion
Picture: Nicholas Doherty, Unsplash
> Marine Energy

Offshore Windfarms

The expansion of offshore wind turbines is being driven forward in many countries. What impact does the large-scale expansion of wind power in the North Sea and Baltic Sea have on the marine environment?

Meere Online
Website
> Marine Energy

Offshore wind farms in German marine areas

Information on offshore wind farms in the German Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the North Sea and Baltic Sea from the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH).

BSH
Multimedia
> Marine Energy

Planning areas for offshore wind farms

The interactive map of the Helmholtz Centre Hereon shows the location and size of offshore wind farms and protected areas in the North Sea and Baltic Sea for scenario planning.

Hereon
Website
> Marine Energy

Expansion of offshore wind energy

Information from the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation on the planned nature-friendly expansion of offshore wind energy in the North Sea and in the Baltic Sea.

BfN
Website
> Marine Energy

How can offshore expansion be successful in an environmentally friendly way?

This study, carried out on behalf of NABU shows how an environmentally compatible choice of location for offshore expansion in German marine waters can be achieved.

NABU
Website
> Fisheries and Aquaculture

Information from fisheries research

Finding new solutions for environmentally compatible fisheries management is the goal of fisheries research at the GEOMAR Research Centre. The website from the ‘Discover’ series summarises current information.

GEOMAR
Website
> Fisheries and Aquaculture

Fish, seafood and algae in a changing climate

How food from the sea can contribute to sustainable development in a changing climate is described in the ‘Blue Food’ handbook published by ‘Küstenmeerforschung Nordsee-Ostsee’ (KüNO).

Hereon
Website
> Fisheries and Aquaculture

Fish stocks online

Sustainable fish purchasing - but how? This portal provides information on the state of fish stocks in the sea that is important for the German market - comprehensive, up-to-date and scientifically proven.

Thünen Institute
Multimedia
> Fisheries and Aquaculture

Can the eel still be saved?

This episode of ‘45 Minuten Zukunft’ - the Thünen Institute's podcast on land and sea use change - is about the European eel and the question: Can this critically endangered species still be saved?

Thünen Institute
Website
> Mineral Resources

Natural ressources from the ocean

The GEOMAR Research Centre provides information about the natural ressources stored at the bottom of the deep sea and about ongoing research projects on the environmental impact of possible mining.

GEOMAR
Website
> Mineral Resources

Overview about deep-sea mining

The Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN) provides an overview and further information on the topic of deep-sea mining and its ecological consequences.

BfN
Website
> Shipping and Transportation

Shipping at a turning point

The In the chapter ‘Life Guarantee Ocean’ of World Ocean Review (WOR) the development of shipping and emissions is described.

WOR
Website
> Fisheries and Aquaculture

Problem area fishing

In this chapter, the World Ocean Review ‘Life Guarantee Ocean’ summarises facts on global fisheries and the problem of overfishing and outlines possible solutions.

WOR
Website
> Fisheries and Aquaculture

Dossiers on the topic of fisheries

How is the herring doing? What does climate change mean for fisheries? How can bycatch be avoided? The Thünen Institute's dossiers provide comprehensive information on the subject of fisheries.

Thünen Institute
Website
> Recreation and Culture

Explore the Wadden Sea World Heritage Site

Information about the Wadden Sea World Heritage Site with holiday tips on sustainable offers and nature experiences compiled by the Wadden Sea National Park.

Wadden Sea National Park
Multimedia
> Fisheries and Aquaculture

Environmentally friendly aquaculture

The interactive presentation by the Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT) shows an environmentally friendly aquaculture concept that combines different farmed animals.

ZMT
Website
> Fisheries and Aquaculture

Overfishing of coral reefs

An international team of researchers has investigated the state of fish stocks and the diversity of fish species in the world's reefs.

ZMT
Multimedia
> Fisheries and Aquaculture

Is it possible to eat sea cucumbers?

It doesn't always have to be fish - how about algae or jellyfish on your plate instead? In this episode of the Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research podcast ‘Tonspur Wissen’ you will learn about new foods from the sea.

ZMT
Website
> Fisheries and Aquaculture

Aquaculture - agriculture under water

Aquaculture is growing rapidly. The Thünen Institute's dossier examines the opportunities and risks of expanding aquaculture in the sea and on land.

Thünen Institute
Website
> Mineral Resources

World Ocean Review: deep-sea mining

Chapter on deep-sea mining from the World Ocean Review (WOR) ‘Guarantee of life in the ocean - sustainable use, effective protection’.

WOR
Multimedia
> Mineral Resources

Source of natural resources or risk?

What opportunities and risks does deep-sea mining harbour? How relevant is mining for the energy transition and what are the possible consequences for ecosystems? The Science Media Centre Germany (SMC) interviewed experts on this topic.

SMC
PDF
> Mineral Resources

Common heritage of mankind

Policy Brief with recommendations for the future regulation of deep-sea mining published by the Research Institute for Sustainability (RIFS) and the Federal Environment Agency.

RIFS
PDF
> Mineral Resources

Deep-sea mining impacts

In this article, the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR) provides information on the types of natural ressources in the deep sea and on the framework conditions and consequences of possible mining.

BGR
Website
> Mineral Resources

Mining manganese nodules

This contribution by the German government highlights the environmental impacts of manganese nodule mining in the deep sea, which are being researched in the European joint project MiningImpact.

Federal Government
Multimedia
> Fisheries and Aquaculture

Marine atlas on the use and state of the oceans

The Thünen Institute's Marine Atlas offers interactive maps and analyses of marine ecosystems and uses such as fisheries, aquaculture, energy production, transport and tourism.

Thünen Institute
Website
> Marine Energy

Fact sheets on offshore wind energy

In this publication overview, the Foundation Offshore Wind Energy offers factsheets among other things on the status quo of offshore wind energy.

Foundation Offshore Wind Energy
Website
> Shipping and Transportation

Environment and maritime shipping

The Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH) provides information on regulations and measures to minimise the impact of maritime shipping on human health, the environment and the climate.

BSH

Find Connections

More on "Ocean Use" from other subject areas:

Insight
> Ocean Governance

Implementation of Marine Management

Agreements on an international, European and national level regulate the use of the seas and oceans - however, we are still a long way from a sustainable approach to the world's largest habitat.

Meere Online
Insight
Starfish lying on the seabed
Picture: Dirk Schories
> Ocean Conservation

Marine Protection

The health of the seas and oceans is deteriorating. The trend can only be reversed if marine protection and sustainable use are pushed forward consistently.

Meere Online
Insight
Rope on sailboat hangs over water with oil film stains.
Picture: Waldemar, Unsplash
> Pollutants

Pollutants

The consequences of marine pollution with contaminants are diverse and depend on the characteristics of the environmental toxins.

Meere Online
Insight
The wreck of a warship lies on the seabed. It is overgrown with algae.
Picture: Wouter Naert, Unsplash
> Ammunition

Ammunition in the Ocean

Since the end of World War II, significant amounts of ammunition and chemical warfare agents have been dumped in the ocean.

Meere Online
Insight
The sun sets into the sea on the horizon
Picture: DAM
> Ocean Warming

Ocean Warming

The ocean absorbes a huge amount of heat at its surface, which is stored at increasing depths. This leads to an increase in water temperature, impacting the climate and the marine life.

Meere Online
Insight
Close-up of a pteropod sea snail
Picture: Dirk Schories
> Ocean Acidification

Ocean Acidification

The absorption of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere leads to fundamental changes in the chemistry of the ocean, impacting biological processes across a variety of life forms.

Meere Online
Insight
A diver swims over coral reefs that are not colorful, but completely white due to coral bleaching. This image was taken off Heron Island in the Great Barrier Reef in 2015.
Picture: The Ocean Agency, Ocean Image Bank
> Ecosystem Change

Ecosystem Change

Ecosystems can withstand the pressure arising from climate change and human interventions only to a certain extent.

Meere Online
Insight
Colourful corals can be seen in the foreground and darker rocks in the background. Various fish swim above the corals.
Picture: Franceso Ungaro, Unsplash
> Biodiversity

Diversity of species

The ocean forms the largest continuous habitat on Earth and is home to millions of different plants, animals, and microorganisms.

Meere Online
Insight
Large algae move under water
Picture: Dirk Schories
> Ecosystem Services

Ecosystem Services

All ecosystem services of the ocean are vital for both humanity and nature.

Meere Online
Insight
Dead bird in an old fishing net that has been turned into a nest. A live gannet stands next to the tangle of nets.
Picture: Silke, Pixabay
> Plastic Litter

Marine Plastic Litter

The ocean's pollution issue is growing exponentially. An increasing production and disposal of plastics contribute to the problem.

Meere Online
Focus
Mussels and green algae lie on a sandy seabed.
Picture: Dirk Schories
> North Sea and Baltic Sea

Environmental status North Sea and Baltic Sea

Every six years, experts assess the environmental state of Germany’s marine areas. The comprehensive 2024 report reveals that the German North Sea and Baltic Sea are in poor condition.

Meere Online
Focus
Projection on UN headquarters shows 17 Sustainable Development Goals in the run-up to the September 2015 summit
Picture: UN Photo, Cia Pak, UN7879217
> Ocean Governance

Polluter Pays and Precautionary Principle

The precautionary principle and the polluter pays principle are important foundations for the regulations on the protection of coasts and oceans.

Meere Online
Focus
Large algae in light-flooded water. Photographed from below.
Picture: Dirk Schories
> Ocean Warming

Oxygen deficiency

The world’s seas oceans are losing oxygen – one of the most vital building blocks of life. The main causes: ocean waters are steadily warming, and excessive nutrient input in many coastal areas is driving widespread imbalance.

Meere Online

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

Topics at a Glance

Biodiversity

Climate Change

Ocean Use

Pollution

Management

Research