Press Archives

28.02.2023

Oliver Zielinski becomes new IOW director

On March 1, 2023, Oliver Zielinski becomes the new director of the IOW. The expert in environmental physics of aquatic ecosystems and intelligent technologies previously was Professor of Marine Sensor Systems at Oldenburg University, where he founded the Centre for Marine Sensor Systems at the Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment (ICBM) as well as the Competence Center “Artificial Intelligence for Environment and Sustainability” at the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI).

31.01.2023

CO2 removal from atmosphere is crucial for climate protection – Annual CDRmare conference focuses on ocean-based methods

Worldwide, research is warning that it will soon be impossible to curb man-made climate change to a point where the internationally agreed climate targets can be met. Even a drastic reduction in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions implemented immediately is no longer sufficient, but will have to be supplemented by additional removal of CO2 from the atmosphere. This is the background for the 2nd annual conference of the research mission CDRmare of the German Marine Research Alliance (DAM), which starts today in Stralsund.

13.09.2022

Smoke on the Water – Scientists from Rostock and Prague trace ship emissions over and in the Baltic Sea

Ship exhausts generated over the heavily trafficked Baltic Sea affect the marine environment and human health. Within the “PlumeBaSe”* project, researchers from the IOW, the University of Rostock and the Charles University in Prague are now investigating how the emitted pollutants spread above and in the sea, how they change in the air and in the water, and what can be inferred from this for improved exhaust gas cleaning.

04.07.2022

Microplastic pollution in the Northeast Atlantic: First long-term record from deep water layers of the open ocean

Scientists from the IOW for the first time analysed a long-term sample series on microplastic pollution in the Northeast Atlantic from 2000 m water depth with respect to number, size, mass, material and possible origin of the particles. Samples were collected between 2003 – 2015 in the Madeira Basin by a sediment trap. Plastic type and particle amount varied widely, but accounted for up to 8% of total particle flux. The most common plastic materials were polyethylene and PVC.

03.06.2022

“Research at the highest level” – The Björn Carlson Baltic Sea Prize has been awarded to IOW researcher Maren Voß

The Björn Carlson Baltic Sea Prize of the Björn Carlson Baltic Sea Foundation was awarded to Maren Voß from the IOW in Stockholm today. The prize is endowed with 3 million Swedish kronor. The foundation honoured the scientist’s groundbreaking research on marine nitrogen cycles in the Baltic Sea.

30.05.2022

Comprehensive scientific assessment for the Baltic Sea region at international Baltic Earth Conference

From May 30 to June 3, the 4th Baltic Earth Conference will take place in Jastarnia on Hel peninsula, Poland. The focus is on a comprehensive scientific assessment of the Baltic Sea region, especially with regard to the effects of climate change. The conference is jointly organized by the International Baltic Earth Secretariat at Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon, the Leibniz Institute of Baltic Sea Research Warnemünde (IOW), and the Institute of Oceanology at Polish Academy of Sciences, Sopot.

10.05.2022

How close is the tipping point? New studies on the Atlantic current system

With a new publication in the scientific journal Nature Climate Change, climate researchers from Kiel and Warnemünde once again contribute to the understanding of changes in the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) – also known as the “Gulf Stream System”. It is important both for the global climate as well as for climate events in Europe. The authors focus on the question, whether human-induced climate change is already slowing down this global oceanic circulation. According to the study, natural variations are still dominant.

20.04.2022

IOW researcher Maren Voß will be the first Björn Carlson Baltic Sea Prize laureate

The Björn Carlson Baltic Sea Prize of the Swedish Björn Carlson Baltic Sea Foundation, which will be awarded for the first time this year, goes to Prof. Maren Voß from the IOW. She is being honoured for her groundbreaking research on the importance of nitrogen in marine cycles and particularly its role in the overfertilisation of the Baltic Sea. The prize, endowed with 3 million Swedish kronor, will be awarded in Stockholm on June 3, 2022.

03.02.2022

What happens to the nutrient cycle when typhoons churn the sea: Insights from the eye of the storm

In September 2018, an expedition as part of the German-Chinese project MEGAPOL was affected by the super typhoon “Mangkhut”. This resulted in the collection of unique data sets on the nutrient budget in the impacted part of the South China Sea. Enormous amounts of nutrients were mixed into the surface water from deeper layers, where they tripled the growth of phytoplankton in a few weeks.

31.01.2022

Looking beneath the surface of the changing oceans: IOW supports successful deployment of new Argo Float sensors

As part of the DArgo2025 project, Germany’s Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency coordinated the successful validation and deployment of new sensors on automated drifting buoys, so-called Argo floats. These sensors can now be deployed worldwide. In this context, the IOW evaluated novel nutrient sensors that were tested in the Baltic Sea. The project, which ended in December 2021, was funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research.