News
Northern German Science Prize 2024: Recognition for SEASCAPES
At the award ceremony of the Northern German Science Prize 2024 in Hanover on December 4, 2024, the joint project ‘Discovery and research of large Stone Age structures at the bottom of the western Baltic Sea’ (SEASCAPES) coordinated by the IOW was honoured with a recognition prize of 10,000 euros.
» Read more … Northern German Science Prize 2024: Recognition for SEASCAPES
Updated fact sheet 2024 on climate change in the Baltic Sea published
How is climate change affecting the Baltic Sea and what are the likely impacts on the marine environment? The international research network Baltic Earth and the Helsinki Commission for the Protection of the Baltic Sea HELCOM have now published an updated version of the fact sheet first published in 2021, which was especially developed for the general public. It incorporates the latest scientific knowledge of about 90 researchers from the entire Baltic Sea region, including experts from the IOW.
» Read more … Updated fact sheet 2024 on climate change in the Baltic Sea published
28 Mio euros for peatland climate protection at the Baltic Sea coast
On October 4, 2024, at the official launch of the joint project “Peatland Climate Protection at the Baltic Sea Coast” run by the IOW and the University of Greifswald, Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke and MV Environment Minister Till Backhaus visited a restored coastal peatland at Bresewitz Bodden. They brought with them the notifications for federal and state grants of about 28 million euros for the 10-year research project, which is being realised on twelve diked coastal polders between Rostock and the Polish Baltic Sea covering a total of 850 hectares. The joint project is being coordinated by the Baltic Sea Foundation.
» Read more … 28 Mio euros for peatland climate protection at the Baltic Sea coast
Kick-off for third funding phase of the DFG Collaborative Research Centre TRR 181
From September 23 to 25, 2024, around 70 researchers met in the German city of Lüneburg to kick off the third funding phase of the Transregional Collaborative Research Centre “Energy Transfer in the Atmosphere and Ocean” (TRR 181) of the German Research Foundation (DFG). TRR 181 focusses on cross-disciplinary and cross-institutional research to improve the description of small-scale processes in climate models with the aim of improving future climate scenario calculations. A total of 12 partner institutions, including the IOW, are working together under the lead of the University of Hamburg. Funding for the third funding phase until June 2028 totals around 15 million euros.
» Read more … Kick-off for third funding phase of the DFG Collaborative Research Centre TRR 181
10th Baltic Earth Summer School on Askö island
The summer school of the Baltic Earth research network took place from August 26 to September 2, 2024. This year, 18 students from all over the Baltic Sea region came to the field station of the Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre on the Swedish island of Askö. In addition to general Baltic Sea knowledge, the school's programme focused on climate change in the region and its consequences. Researchers from the IOW, the Helmholtz Centre Hereon and the Swedish Södertörn University jointly designed the summer school and held the courses on the island.
» Read more … 10th Baltic Earth Summer School on Askö island
New IOW research programme 2024 – 2033: “Perspectives of Coastal Seas”
Coastal seas with their habitat and species diversity as well as their ecosystem services are of paramount importance for our planet and human well-being. They are, however, under enormous pressure from pollution, habitat destruction and climate change. With a special focus on the Baltic Sea, the IOW's research programme “Perspectives of Coastal Seas” launched in 2024 provides new impulses for understanding, protecting and managing these vital marine ecosystems for the benefit of nature and humans. Marine observation is being strengthened by innovative methods and the Baltic Sea long-term monitoring program is substantially extended northwards; as a new tool, so-called “Baltic Challenges” make it possible to react quickly to newly emerging research topics.
» Read more … New IOW research programme 2024 – 2033: “Perspectives of Coastal Seas”
Fact sheet on climate change and its impacts in the Baltic Sea region
How does climate change affect the Baltic Sea and what are its possible impacts on the marine environment? The international research network Baltic Earth and the Helsinki Commission for the protection of the Baltic Sea marine environment, HELCOM, published a synopsis of current research results from about 100 researchers from the entire Baltic Sea region in the form of a compact fact sheet (download available here).
» Read more … Fact sheet on climate change and its impacts in the Baltic Sea region
Gas leaks from Nord Stream 1 & 2
According to various sources, it can be assumed that a total of about 500 million m3 of methane was released from the damaged Nord Stream pipelines. On this basis, IOW experts have compiled a brief overview with a comparative benchmarking of the amount of climate gas released as well as of other potential hazards (available also as download).
» Read more … Gas leaks from Nord Stream 1 & 2
Baltic Sea ‘dead zone’ development since 1969: IOW proviedes detailed map material based on long-term data
Oxygen minimum zones caused by intense microbial degradation processes of organic matter are characteristic for the Baltic Sea. The hostile living conditions of these so-called ‘dead zones’ become even more pronounced, when toxic hydrogen sulphide is produced by bacterial activity. To visualise the spatial and temporal distribution and dynamics of these areas, the IOW regularly publishes new maps in a unique collection of several hundered, thereby covering data of more than five decades.
Microplastics in the Sea
Alarming news about the growing littering of the seas and the omnipresence of microplastics trigger the public concern. Marine scientists are working with special emphasis to answer open questions related to this highly topical environmental issue. At the IOW, we investigate
• whether microplastics might serve as an ideal transportation vehicle for pathogenic germs
• how methods to determine microplastics, which today are still very time-consuming, can be improved
• which are the sources and pathways of microplastics into the sea.
» Read more … Microplastics in the Sea
The „Altona Declaration“: German coastal research presents future concept
42 German research institutions together with numerous stakeholders intensively cooperated over a two-year period to develop a research agenda for the coming decade. Highlight of the agenda process was the symposium “Coast 2025” in April 2015 in Hamburg-Altona. On October 6, the resulting “Altona Declaration” was presented to representatives of the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF) in Berlin.
» Read more … The „Altona Declaration“: German coastal research presents future concept
BACC II report: Up-date on Baltic Sea climate change research
In April 2015, the Second Assessment of Climate Change for the Baltic Sea Basin (BACC II) was published by the BACC II Author Team chaired by the International Baltic Earth (former BALTEX) Secretariat at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht. IOW researchers also contributed significantly.
» Read more … BACC II report: Up-date on Baltic Sea climate change research
Record setting 2014
On the basis of a 25 year series of daily satellite data on the Baltic Sea´s sea surface temperate (SST), the year 2014 develops to be the warmest of this period. In the Western Baltic Sea all mean monthly values exceeded the long-term average values by 1 – 3 °C.
» Read more … Record setting 2014
Geschichtsbuch Meeresboden
In den Sedimenten der Ostsee schlummert ein wahrer Schatz aus Informationen über die Vergangenheit des "Meeres vor unserer Haustür".
» Read more … Geschichtsbuch Meeresboden