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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.

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

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

Focus

> Ammunition

Munition in the Seas – Current Knowledge and Perspectives

Munitions in the seas and oceans threaten the marine environment and risk their sustainable use and management. For several years, research has been conducted to evaluate the scale of the impacts and to develop solutions for their future remediation.

DAM

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

[Translate to English:] Cumulonimbus Wolke über Meereshorizont vom Forschungsschiff Sonne aus fotografiert. — Picture: Ralf Prien, IOW

> The Ocean as a Climate Buffer

The Ocean as a Climate Buffer

The ocean stores large quantities of carbon dioxide and heat and thus, slowing down man-made climate change.

Meere Online

Multimedia

> Restoration

The restoration of the European oyster

The European oyster plays a vital role in maintaining ecosystem functions in its habitat. Currently considered extinct in the German North Sea, it is being reintroduced through a project at the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI).

AWI

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

> Plastic Litter

Round table marine litter

An information platform for all relevant stakeholders on the coordination and implementation of national measures against marine litter. Around 130 experts support the work of the round table, established in 2016.

UBA

Multimedia

Zwei Hände berühren einen Touchdisplay und interagieren mit dem Interaktiven Weltozean. — Foto: DAM Sinje Hasheider

> Educational Materials

Interactive world ocean

Touchscreen-based ocean map for schools, educational institutions and exhibitions - navigate simply and intuitively by touch and immerse yourself in the underwater world.

DAM

PDF

> Educational Materials

Teacher training course on the changing world ocean

From overfishing to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea – this volume of the Hamburg Geography Symposium includes four lectures as part of a teacher training course on the changing world ocean and a didactic contribution on teaching methods.

Universität Hamburg

Multimedia

Foto der DAM Zukunftsbox, ein Spiel zum Nachhaltigen Umgang mit den Meeren. — Bild: DAM

> Educational Materials

Future box oceans

In a workshop format, various future scenarios are developed in a playful way to answer the question: What will our oceans look like in the future?

DAM | Futurium

Press Releases from Marine Research by Informationsdienst Wissenschaft (idw)

idw (Informationsdienst Wissenschaft)

2025-05-20 11:00 AM

Small-Scale, Big Impact: New Insights to Marine Biodiversity around the Cape Verde Islands

GEOMAR Helmholtz-Zentrum für Ozeanforschung Kiel

Why is the ocean around the Cape Verde Islands teeming with life despite lying in one of the most nutrient-poor regions of the Atlantic? A study led by GEOMAR provides answers. By analysing two decades of interdisciplinary observational data, the researchers identified three key small-scale physical processes — eddies, internal waves and wind-driven island wakes — that drive the upward transport of nutrients to the surface. These local dynamics boost biological productivity and shape the distribution of marine species. The study provides a valuable foundation for the further development of a digital twin of the ocean.

2025-05-16 10:46 AM

Rising temperatures lead to unexpectedly rapid carbon release from soils

MARUM - Zentrum für Marine Umweltwissenschaften an der Universität Bremen

How sensitively does organic carbon stored in soils react to changes in temperature and humidity? This question is central to a new study by researchers from MARUM – Center for Marine Environmental Sciences at the University of Bremen and from the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research in Bremerhaven that was now published in Nature Communications.

2025-05-13 01:15 PM

More than 100 scientists join the Hamburg node of the WCRP Global Km-Scale Hackathon

Max-Planck-Institut für Meteorologie

Researchers from around the globe gather, virtually and physically, for the first World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) Global Km-Scale Hackathon, a coordinated effort to accelerate research using regional and global climate simulations at unprecedented kilometer-scale resolution. The event is taking place simultaneously at ten research institutions on five continents across nine time zones. The Hamburg node, hosted by the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology, kicked off on May 12, with more than 100 scientists attending.

2025-05-08 12:37 PM

Mayday! - When ships fail and research asks why

Deutsches Schifffahrtsmuseum - Leibniz-Institut für Maritime Geschichte

Ships are considered majestic vessels. When the force of nature at sea brings them down, it triggers horror, but also fascination. The new research project “Disasters at sea and maritime culture of remembrance in the 20th and 21st centuries” at the German Maritime Museum (DSM) / Leibniz Institute for Maritime History in Bremerhaven is investigating how shipwrecks influence people's view of the sea and what role the memory of these events plays in this.

2025-05-05 03:20 PM

Artificial oxygenation of coastal waters is no substitute for nutrient reduction and climate protection

GEOMAR Helmholtz-Zentrum für Ozeanforschung Kiel

While oxygenation approaches have already been proven successful in lakes, their potential side effects must be carefully analysed before they can be used in the sea. This is the conclusion of researchers from GEOMAR and Radboud University (Netherlands). In an article in the scientific journal EOS, they warn: Technical measures can mitigate damage temporarily and locally, but they are associated with considerable uncertainties and risks. Above all, they do not offer a permanent solution because the oxygen content will return to its previous level once the measures end, unless the underlying causes of the problem, nutrient inputs and global warming, are not tackled.

2025-05-02 03:07 PM

How do calderas form on island arc volcanoes and what impact do they have?

GEOMAR Helmholtz-Zentrum für Ozeanforschung Kiel

02.05.2025/Kiel. Which processes triggered the collapse of the caldera of the Brothers volcano off the coast of New Zealand several thousand years ago, and how are these linked to hot springs and deposits of raw materials? These are the questions being investigated by an international research team led by the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel. Aboard the research vessel SONNE, the scientists intend to produce the first high-resolution, three-dimensional image of the underwater volcano.

2025-04-30 02:46 PM

Maarten Boersma becomes Acting Director of the Alfred Wegener Institute

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

From 1 May 2025, Prof Dr Maarten Boersma will step up as Acting Director of the Alfred Wegener Institute. As a biologist, he has been conducting research, predominantly at the Helgoland and Sylt stations, since 2001, since 2015 as section head. He has been on the AWI Board of Directors since summer 2024. Maarten Boersma succeeds Prof Dr Antje Boetius, who takes up the position of President of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) in California.

2025-04-30 11:49 AM

Looking into the Past to Understand the Climate Future: Prof. Dr Ying Cui is a Humboldt Fellow at GEOMAR

GEOMAR Helmholtz-Zentrum für Ozeanforschung Kiel

30 April 2025 / Kiel. Prof. Dr Ying Cui from Montclair State University in the USA is currently a guest researcher at the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, supported by a Humboldt Research Fellowship for Experienced Researchers. During her six-month stay, the geoscientist is using Earth system models to investigate how warmer climates in the geological past affected oxygen levels in the ocean — and what this can tell us about the future. Her host is Prof. Dr Andreas Oschlies, head of the Biogeochemical Modelling Research Unit.

2025-04-29 10:14 AM

Hard-to-Avoid Emissions: Limited Potential for Marine Carbon Dioxide Removal in Germany’s Seas

GEOMAR Helmholtz-Zentrum für Ozeanforschung Kiel

29 April 2025/Kiel. Increasing the natural uptake of carbon dioxide by the ocean or storing captured CO₂ under the seabed are currently being discussed in Germany as potential ways to offset unavoidable residual emissions and achieve the country’s goal of greenhouse gas neutrality by 2045. However, which carbon dioxide removal (CDR) and storage methods could actually be used depends heavily on local conditions. In Germany’s North Sea and Baltic Sea waters, the options are limited to just a few approaches. This is the conclusion of a first feasibility assessment carried out by researchers involved in the CDRmare research mission. The study was recently published in the journal Earth’s Future.

2025-04-24 11:15 AM

Study investigates the impact of sediment resuspension induced by trawling and other natural processes in Kiel Bight

GEOMAR Helmholtz-Zentrum für Ozeanforschung Kiel

24 April 2025/Kiel. When bottom trawls are dragged across the seafloor, they stir up sediments. This not only releases previously stored organic carbon, but also intensifies the oxidation of pyrite, a mineral present in marine sediments, leading to additional emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2). These are the findings of a study conducted by GEOMAR. Based on samples from Kiel Bight, the researchers investigated the geochemical consequences of sediment resuspension. Their conclusion: areas with fine-grained sediments, which play a crucial role in CO2 storage in the Baltic Sea, should urgently be placed under protection. The study has been published in Communications Earth & Environment.

2025-04-16 11:53 AM

Microorganisms employ a secret weapon during metabolism

MARUM - Zentrum für Marine Umweltwissenschaften an der Universität Bremen

In the global carbon cycle microorganisms have evolved a variety of methods for fixing carbon. Researchers from Bremen and Taiwan have investigated the methods that are utilized at extremely hot, acidic and sulfur-rich hydrothermal vents in shallow waters off the island of Kueishantao, Taiwan. A team working with first author Joely Maak of MARUM – Center for Marine Environmental Sciences at the University of Bremen has now published their study in the professional journal Biogeosciences.

2025-04-15 12:17 PM

Silent giants on their last voyage

Deutsches Schifffahrtsmuseum - Leibniz-Institut für Maritime Geschichte

How and where does the life of a giant steel vessel end? So far, quietly on the beaches of Southeast Asia. DSM scientist Anja Binkofski is researching the opportunities that modern and sustainable ship recycling could offer in northern Germany. The Hong Kong Convention, whose entry into force will be celebrated on 26 June 2025 at the German Maritime Museum (DSM) / Leibniz Institute for Maritime History in Bremerhaven, promises more sustainable conditions for ship recycling worldwide.

2025-04-11 02:00 PM

Scientific Report on Deep-Sea Research: Scientists Call for More Knowledge to Enable Sustainable Management

GEOMAR Helmholtz-Zentrum für Ozeanforschung Kiel

11 April 2025/Brussels/Kiel. A group of leading marine scientists, led by Professor Dr Sylvia Sander (GEOMAR), has published a Future Science Brief on deep-sea research. The report provides a comprehensive overview of current knowledge and recommendations on how to make deep-sea exploration and management more sustainable. The authors warn: without a solid understanding of ecosystem processes and biodiversity, informed decisions on deep-sea use and protection are impossible. They call for targeted research to fill knowledge gaps and support long-term conservation. The report will be launched today in a public webinar and is aimed at policy makers, scientists and international organisations.

2025-04-11 11:22 AM

CO₂ removal and storage: Which options are feasible and desirable?

Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel

A new framework helps to evaluate the feasibility of ocean-based CO2 removal processes and assesses their impact on humans and nature.
As climate change increases, so does the pressure on humanity to remove carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere - possibly with the help of the oceans. But which of the proposed marine CO2 removal and storage options should be used? Scientists from the CDRmare research mission have developed a new assessment framework to help decision-makers make evidence-based decisions about whether marine CO2 removal methods or projects are feasible and whether their consequences for humans and nature are desirable.

2025-04-10 01:18 PM

Who eats whom? New model for marine food webs

Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon

Hereon researchers develop innovative method to calculate predator-prey relationships more precisely

Marine food webs are highly complex. Until now, researchers have been unable to understand exactly how they are affected by climate change, overfishing and other threats. Scientists at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon in Geesthacht have now achieved a breakthrough. They have developed a new computer model that can be used to simulate food webs more accurately than ever before. The work, which has been published in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution, opens up new perspectives in the field of marine conservation.

2025-04-10 11:55 AM

New study on natural oil seeps in the deep sea

MARUM - Zentrum für Marine Umweltwissenschaften an der Universität Bremen

What is the role of dissolved organic matter in the deep sea? In a study relating to this question, researchers from the Universities of Bremen and Oldenburg have investigated the composition of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in detail. Their samples were obtained during an expedition to the Guaymas Basin in the Gulf of California.

2025-04-09 01:26 PM

New fish species discovered in the Gulf of Mexico

Leibniz-Zentrum für Marine Tropenforschung (ZMT)

Scientists from the Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT) in Bremen, together with colleagues from Central America, have described a new fish species in the Gulf of Mexico. Hypoplectrus espinosai belongs to the hamlet group and was discovered in the Alacranes Reef, a reef complex in the Campeche Bank in the southern Gulf of Mexico. The researchers from Germany, Mexico and Panama were able to describe the new species using genetic data, geographical records and photographs. Their study has now been published in the scientific journal Zootaxa.

2025-04-07 02:35 PM

Marine litter: what biodegradable plastics can do to solve the problem

Leibniz-Zentrum für Marine Tropenforschung (ZMT)

For more than two years, the UN member states have been trying to agree on a plastics treaty that includes globally binding measures against plastic pollution. In August, negotiations to reach an agreement will continue in Geneva. Scientists at the Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT) have studied existing strategies and are proposing additional measures to tackle the marine litter problem. They are focussing on innovative, “third-generation” biodegradable plastics to be developed on the basis of the EU concept ‘Safe and Sustainable by Design’ (SSbD). The researchers’ comprehensive analysis is published in the journal Sustainable Chemistry and Pharmacy.

2025-04-04 03:16 PM

Lowest levels on record for Arctic winter sea ice

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

The winter growth period for sea ice in the Arctic Ocean is now over, with levels at a record low. The winter ice extent on 21 March 2025 was lower than at any time since continuous satellite recording began in 1979. At 14.45 million square kilometres, winter sea ice cover is over a million square kilometres below the long-term average. As in February 2025, average Arctic sea ice cover remained at an all-time low for the entire month of March, equalling the previous low set in 2017.

2025-04-03 11:28 AM

Storing CO₂ Beneath the German North Sea? GEOSTOR Research Consortium Publishes Interim Report

GEOMAR Helmholtz-Zentrum für Ozeanforschung Kiel

3 April 2025/Kiel. Captured carbon dioxide (CO₂) could be stored deep beneath the German North Sea. However, due to limited storage capacity and potential environmental risks, this option should only be used for residual emissions that remain unavoidable – even under ambitious climate policies. That is the key message of a new interim report published today by researchers from the GEOSTOR consortium. The report presents findings from the first three years of the research project and outlines the challenges and uncertainties that still need to be addressed before any CO₂ can be injected into the seabed.

2025-04-02 01:15 PM

Southern Ocean warming leads to wetter Pacific coasts for centuries to come

Max-Planck-Institut für Meteorologie

An astonishing teleconnection originating in the Southern Ocean is causing East Asia to face wetter summers and the western USA wetter winters in the future. A new study breaks down the process chain for the first time and provides an explanation for the uncertainty of previous model projections.

2025-04-01 01:51 PM

All Aboard for the Third “Floating University”

GEOMAR Helmholtz-Zentrum für Ozeanforschung Kiel

1 April 2025/Mindelo/Kiel. Today, the German research vessel POLARSTERN sets sail from the subtropical Mindelo, Cabo Verde, on a special expedition. On board are 13 Master’s students from West Africa, who will experience marine research at first hand during the two-week voyage to Bremerhaven, Germany. The “Floating University” is taking place for the third time under the leadership of the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel and contributes to the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. The project is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) under the WASCAL programme.

2025-03-28 09:49 AM

New boost for ecosystem-based fisheries management

GEOMAR Helmholtz-Zentrum für Ozeanforschung Kiel

28.03.2025/Kiel. GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel and the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (Bundesamt für Naturschutz, BfN) have signed a cooperation agreement “AWZFISCH”. This expands the 15-year collaboration between the two institutions into a long-term strategic partnership. Over the next five years, the two institutions will join forces to work together on the future of fish stocks in the face of climate change, the sustainable implementation of fishing quotas and the regulation of fishing activities within marine protected areas.

2025-03-28 09:38 AM

After 7000 years without light and oxygen in Baltic Sea mud: Researchers bring prehistoric algae back to life

Leibniz-Institut für Ostseeforschung Warnemünde

A research team led by the Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research Warnemünde (IOW) was able to revive dormant stages of algae that sank to the bottom of the Baltic Sea almost 7,000 years ago. Despite thousands of years of inactivity in the sediment without light and oxygen, the investigated diatom species regained full viability. The study, recently published in The ISME Journal, was carried out as part of the Leibniz Association-funded collaborative research project PHYTOARK, which aims at a better understanding of the Baltic Sea's future by means of palaeoecological investigations of the Baltic Sea's past.

2025-03-28 09:08 AM

Regional climate signals pose new challenges for climate science

Max-Planck-Institut für Meteorologie

Climate science has correctly predicted many aspects of the climate system and its response to increased atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations. Recently discrepancies between the real world and our expectations of regional climate changes have emerged, as have disruptive new computational approaches. Researchers provide an interpretation for the situation suggesting the field is evolving and that embracing discrepancies is a key path forward.

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