News
This page contains latest news regarding the institute. Some entries are only available in German.
A Threat to the Baltic Sea? Long-term development of pollution by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are widespread, highly toxic and often carcinogenic environmental pollutants. Marion Kanwischer from the IOW and her team have studied the long-term development of PAH pollution in the Baltic Sea. Although the overall contamination has eased in recent years, PAHs still pose a toxicological threat to the Baltic Sea. Traffic emissions are a major contributor to the current PAH pollution.
The German sea shells – New publication presents an extensive documentation of mussels living in German sea areas (and beyond)
Michael L. Zettler, senior scientist at the IOW, has been researching the occurrence and living conditions of the inhabitants of the seabed of the Baltic Sea and other seas – the so-called zoobenthos – for many years. Now he has contributed his profound expertise to a monograph on the marine bivalves of Germany, thus closing, together with co-author Axel Alf, a gap in the renowned series “Die Tierwelt Deutschlands”.
Major Baltic Inflows can cause just minor and only temporary improvements of the Baltic Sea´s state of eutrophication
With detailed analyses of water and sediment samples from the Gotland Basin, geoscientists from the Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research succeeded in tracing the geochemical processes, which followed the Major Baltic Inflow in 2014/2015. Their conclusion: even very large amounts of oxygenated waters cause only small and temporary improvements of the nutrient situation in the central Baltic Sea.
Bottom trawling in marine protected areas of the Baltic Sea: IOW launches expedition to study the impacts
On June 2, 2021, a two-week ship expedition led by the IOW will set out to marine protected areas in the Fehmarnbelt and the Oderbank. The aim of the research cruise is to carry out a comprehensive survey of the seabed’s condition, which, in addition to geophysical and geochemical properties, for the first time also includes the entire near-bottom food web – ranging from bacteria to fishes. The cruise is part of the pilot missions of the German Marine Research Alliance to investigate the impact of bottom trawling on marine protected areas in the North and the Baltic Sea.
Vibrios and climate change: Can nature-based methods mitigate the potential threat in the Baltic Sea?
Vibrio bacteria, including species that are harmful to humans, are a natural component of Baltic Sea plankton. As a consequence of climate change, they may become more common due to rising water temperatures and thus an increasing health risk. The BaltVib project, coordinated by the IOW, is investigating whether certain plant and animal communities such as seagrass and mussel beds naturally reduce near shore Vibrio abundance and how this effect can be supported through actively shaping the marine environment.
Contact persons in all matters of press and public relation at the Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research are
Dr. Kristin Beck
Tel.: 0381 5197 135
E-Mail: kristin.beck@io-warnemuende.de
Dr. Barbara Hentzsch
Tel.: 0381 5197 102
E-Mail: barbara.hentzsch@io-warnemuende.de
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