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The global ocean is the major natural sink for carbon, nutrients and other biologically active substances. Most of the anthropogenic CO2 will ultimately be removed from the atmosphere and transferred into the oceans to be stored as dissolved inorganic carbon in seawater and particulate organic and inorganic carbon in marine sediments. The uptake rate of atmospheric CO2 is determined by the efficiency of the physical and biological marine carbon pumps transferring CO2 to the ocean’s interior. Climate engineering (CE) approaches have been proposed to stimulate these natural CO2 pumps. They aim at exploiting the vast nutrient inventory of the oceans to sequester additional CO2 as in the form of marine biomass or intend to employ the buffering capacity of seawater to neutralize CO2. Geological formations below the seabed have already been used to dispose CO2 recovered from offshore natural gas production for more than a decade and a large number of new storage sites below the seabed will be opened in the near future to accommodate CO2 from coal-fired plants. Marine CE options and sub-seabed CO2 storage may help to mitigate future climate change but could also amplify ongoing ocean acidification and oxygen loss in the ocean with potentially grave and harmful consequences for marine ecosystems. By combining perspectives of disciplines relevant to the subject, the research topic Ocean Sinks aims for an unbiased assessment of these marine carbon sequestration techniques (MCST ).
Future Ocean provides
- a comprehensive evaluation of different sub-seabed storage options including enhanced oil and gas recovery and storage in saline aquifers, depleted oil and gas reservoirs, deep-sea sediments, gas hydrates and oceanic crust. sub-seabed storage of CO2
- Scientific underpinning of the marine CE options such as artificial upwelling and ocean iron fertilization may stimulate biological CO2 sequestration while the physical and chemical uptake of CO2 in the ocean could be enhanced by dissolving alkaline rocks and minerals in seawater.
- designing potential global MCST portfolios.
…
…
Publications
Cisternas-Novoa, C., Le Moigne, F. A. C. 
and Engel, A.
(2019)
Composition and Vertical Flux of Particulate Organic Matter to the Oxygen Minimum Zone of the Central Baltic Sea: Impact of a sporadic North Sea inflow.
Biogeosciences (BG), 16
.
pp. 927-947.
DOI 10.5194/bg-16-927-2019.
Vielstädte, L., Haeckel, M. , Karstens, J. , Linke, P. , Schmidt, M. , Steinle, L. and Wallmann, K.
(2017)
Shallow gas migration along hydrocarbon wells – An unconsidered, anthropogenic source of biogenic methane in the North Sea.
Environmental Science & Technology, 51
(17).
pp. 10262-10268.
DOI 10.1021/acs.est.7b02732.
Bezard, R., Turner, S., Davidson, J., Schmitt, A. K. and Lindsay, J. (2017) Origin and Evolution of Silicic Magmas in Oceanic Arcs; an in situ Study from St Lucia, Lesser Antilles. Journal of Petrology, 58 (7). pp. 1279-1318. DOI 10.1093/petrology/egx053.
Schartau, M. , Wallhead, P., Hemmings, J., Löptien, U. , Kriest, I. , Krishna, S., Ward, B. A., Slawig, T. and Oschlies, A.
(2017)
Reviews and syntheses: Parameter identification in marine planktonic ecosystem modelling.
Biogeosciences (BG), 14
(6).
pp. 1647-1701.
DOI 10.5194/bg-14-1647-2017.
Jickells, T. D., Buitenhuis, E., Altieri, K., Baker, A. R., Capone, D., Duce, R. A., Dentener, F., Fennel, K., Kanakidou, M., LaRoche, J., Lee, K., Liss, P., Middelburg, J. J., Moore, J. K., Okin, G., Oschlies, A. , Sarin, M., Seitzinger, S., Sharples, J., Singh, A., Suntharalingam, P., Uematsu, M. and Zamora, L. M.
(2017)
A reevaluation of the magnitude and impacts of anthropogenic atmospheric nitrogen inputs on the ocean.
Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 31
(2).
pp. 289-305.
DOI 10.1002/2016GB005586.
Irvine, P. J., Kravitz, B., Lawrence, M. G., Gerten, D., Caminade, C., Gosling, S. N., Hendy, E., Kassie, B., Kissling, W. D., Muri, H., Oschlies, A. and Smith, S. J.
(2017)
Towards a comprehensive climate impacts assessment of solar geoengineering.
Earth's Future, 5
(1).
pp. 93-106.
DOI 10.1002/2016EF000389.
Oschlies, A. , Held, H., Keller, D. P. , Keller, K., Mengis, N. , Quaas, M., Rickels, W. and Schmidt, H.
(2017)
Indicators and metrics for the assessment of climate engineering.
Earth's Future, 5
(1).
pp. 49-58.
DOI 10.1002/2016EF000449.
Kriest, I. , Sauerland, V., Khatiwala, S., Srivastav, A. and Oschlies, A.
(2017)
Calibrating a global three-dimensional biogeochemical ocean model (MOPS-1.0).
Geoscientific Model Development, 10
.
pp. 127-154.
DOI 10.5194/gmd-10-127-2017.
Le Moigne, F. A. C. , Cisternas-Novoa, C., Piontek, J., Massmig, M. and Engel, A.
(2017)
On the effect of low oxygen concentrations on bacterial degradation of sinking particles.
Scientific Reports, 7
(1).
Art. No. 16722.
DOI 10.1038/s41598-017-16903-3.
Quaas, M., Quaas, J., Rickels, W. and Boucher, O. (2017) Are there reasons against open-ended research into solar radiation management? A model of intergenerational decision-making under uncertainty. Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, 84 . pp. 1-17. DOI 10.1016/j.jeem.2017.02.002.
Arteaga, L., Pahlow, M. and Oschlies, A.
(2016)
Modeled Chl:C ratio and derived estimates of phytoplankton carbon biomass and its contribution to total particulate organic carbon in the global surface ocean.
Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 30
(12).
pp. 1791-1810.
DOI 10.1002/2016GB005458.
Ceballos-Romero, E., Le Moigne, F. A. C. , Henson, S., Marsay, C. M., Sanders, R. J., García-Tenorio, R. and Villa-Alfageme, M.
(2016)
Influence of bloom dynamics on Particle Export Efficiency in the North Atlantic: a comparative study of radioanalytical techniques and sediment traps.
Marine Chemistry, 186
.
pp. 198-210.
DOI 10.1016/j.marchem.2016.10.001.
Vehmaa, A., Almen, A. K., Brutemark, A., Paul, A. J., Riebesell, U. , Furuhagen, S. and Engström-Öst, J.
(2016)
Ocean acidification challenges copepod phenotypic plasticity.
Biogeosciences (BG), 13
(22).
pp. 6171-6182.
DOI 10.5194/bg-13-6171-2016.
Reith, F., Keller, D. P. and Oschlies, A.
(2016)
Revisiting ocean carbon sequestration by direct injection: A global carbon budget perspective.
Earth System Dynamics, 7
.
pp. 797-812.
DOI 10.5194/esd-7-797-2016.
Steinle, L., Schmidt, M. , Bryant, L. D., Haeckel, M. , Linke, P. , Sommer, S., Zopfi, J., Lehmann, M. F., Treude, T. and Niemann, H.
(2016)
Linked sediment and water-column methanotrophy at a man-made gas blowout in the North Sea: Implications for methane budgeting in seasonally stratified shallow seas.
Limnology and Oceanography, 61
(S1).
S367-S386.
DOI 10.1002/lno.10388.
Su, B., Pahlow, M. and Oschlies, A.
(2016)
Box-modeling of the impacts of atmospheric nitrogen deposition and benthic remineralization on the nitrogen cycle of the eastern tropical South Pacific.
Biogeosciences (BG), 13
.
pp. 4985-5001.
DOI 10.5194/bg-13-4985-2016.
Villa-Alfageme, M., de Soto, F. C., Ceballos, E., Giering, S. L. C., Le Moigne, F. A. C. , Henson, S., Mas, J. L. and Sanders, R. J.
(2016)
Geographical, seasonal, and depth variation in sinking particle speeds in the North Atlantic.
Geophysical Research Letters, 43
(16).
pp. 8609-8616.
DOI 10.1002/2016GL069233.
Fernandez-Castro, B., Pahlow, M., Mourino-Carballido, B., Maranon, E. and Oschlies, A.
(2016)
Optimality-based Trichodesmium diazotrophy in the North Atlantic subtropical gyre.
Journal of Plankton Research, 38
(4).
pp. 946-963.
DOI 10.1093/plankt/fbw047.
Lebrato, M., Andersson, A. J., Ries, J. B., Aronson, R. B., Lamare, M. D., Koeve, W. , Oschlies, A. , Iglesias-Rodriguez, M. D., Thatje, S., Amsler, M., Vos, S. C., Jones, D. O. B., Ruhl, H. A., Gates, A. R. and McClintock, J. B.
(2016)
Benthic marine calcifiers coexist with CaCO3-undersaturated seawater worldwide.
Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 30
(7).
pp. 1038-1053.
DOI 10.1002/2015GB005260.
Feng, E. Y., Keller, D. P. , Koeve, W. and Oschlies, A.
(2016)
Could artificial ocean alkalinization protect tropical coral ecosystems from ocean acidification?.
Environmental Research Letters, 11
(7).
Art.Nr. 074008.
DOI 10.1088/1748-9326/11/7/074008.
Saha, M. , Wiese, J. , Weinberger, F. and Wahl, M.
(2016)
Rapid adaptation to controlling new microbial epibionts in the invaded range promotes invasiveness of an exotic seaweed.
Journal of Ecology, 104
(4).
pp. 969-978.
DOI 10.1111/1365-2745.12590.
Böning, C. W. , Behrens, E., Biastoch, A. , Getzlaff, K. and Bamber, J. L.
(2016)
Emerging impact of Greenland meltwater on deepwater formation in the North Atlantic Ocean.
Nature Geoscience, 9
(7).
pp. 523-527.
DOI 10.1038/ngeo2740.
Rickels, W., Dovern, J., Hoffmann, J., Quaas, M. F., Schmidt, J. O. and Visbeck, M.
(2016)
Indicators for Monitoring Sustainable Development Goals: An Application to Oceanic Development in the European Union.
Earth's Future, 4
(5).
pp. 252-267.
DOI 10.1002/2016EF000353.
Somes, C. J. , Landolfi, A. , Koeve, W. and Oschlies, A.
(2016)
Limited impact of atmospheric nitrogen deposition on marine productivity due to biogeochemical feedbacks in a global ocean model.
Geophysical Research Letters, 43
(9).
pp. 4500-4509.
DOI 10.1002/2016GL068335.
Mengis, N. , Martin, T. , Keller, D. P. and Oschlies, A.
(2016)
Assessing climate impacts and risks of ocean albedo modification in the Arctic.
Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 121
(5).
pp. 3044-3057.
DOI 10.1002/2015JC011433.
Schneider von Deimling, J. , Held, P., Feldens, P. and Wilken, D.
(2016)
Effects of using inclined parametric echosounding on sub-bottom acoustic imaging and advances in buried object detection.
Geo-Marine Letters, 36
(2).
pp. 113-119.
DOI 10.1007/s00367-015-0433-3.
Rovelli, L., Dengler, M. , Schmidt, M. , Sommer, S., Linke, P. and McGinnis, D.
(2016)
Thermocline mixing and vertical oxygen fluxes in the stratified central North Sea.
Biogeosciences (BG), 13
(5).
pp. 1609-1620.
DOI 10.5194/bg-13-1609-2016.
Lomnitz, U., Sommer, S., Dale, A. W. , Löscher, C. R., Noffke, A., Wallmann, K. and Hensen, C.
(2016)
Benthic phosphorus cycling in the Peruvian oxygen minimum zone.
Biogeosciences (BG), 13
(5).
pp. 1367-1386.
DOI 10.5194/bg-13-1367-2016.
Dumke, I., Burwicz, E. B. , Berndt, C. , Klaeschen, D. , Feseker, T., Geissler, W. and Sarkar, S.
(2016)
Gas hydrate distribution and hydrocarbon maturation north of the Knipovich Ridge, western Svalbard margin.
Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 121
(3).
pp. 1405-1424.
DOI 10.1002/2015JB012083.
Pinero, E., Hensen, C. , Haeckel, M. , Rottke, W., Fuchs, T. and Wallmann, K.
(2016)
3-D numerical modelling of methane hydrate accumulations using PetroMod.
Marine and Petroleum Geology, 71
.
pp. 288-295.
DOI 10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2015.12.019.
Almen, A. K., Vehmaa, A., Brutemark, A., Bach, L. T. , Lischka, S. , Stuhr, A., Furuhagen, S., Paul, A. J., Bermudez, R., Riebesell, U. and Engström-Öst, J.
(2016)
Negligible effects of ocean acidification on Eurytemora affinis (Copepoda) offspring production.
Biogeosciences (BG), 13
(4).
pp. 1037-1048.
DOI 10.5194/bg-13-1037-2016.
Sommer, S., Schmidt, M. and Linke, P.
(2015)
Continuous inline mapping of a dissolved methane plume at a blowout site in the Central North Sea UK using a membrane inlet mass spectrometer – water column stratification impedes immediate methane release into the atmosphere.
Marine and Petroleum Geology, 68
.
pp. 766-775.
DOI 10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2015.08.020.
Jordt, A., Zelenka, C., Schneider von Deimling, J. , Koch, R. and Köser, K.
(2015)
The Bubble Box: Towards an Automated Visual Sensor for 3D Analysis and Characterization of Marine Gas Release Sites.
Sensors, 15
(12).
pp. 30716-30735.
DOI 10.3390/s151229825.
Leifer, I., Solomon, E., Schneider von Deimling, J., Rehder, G., Coffin, R. and Linke, P.
(2015)
The Fate of Bubbles in a Large, Intense Bubble Megaplume for Stratified and Unstratified Water : Numerical Simulations of 22/4b Expedition Field Data.
Marine and Petroleum Geology, 68
.
pp. 806-823.
DOI 10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2015.07.025.
Schneider von Deimling, J., Linke, P. , Schmidt, M. and Rehder, G.
(2015)
Ongoing methane discharge at well site 22/4b
(North Sea)and discovery of a spiral vortex bubble plume motion.
Marine and Petroleum Geology, 68
.
pp. 718-730.
DOI 10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2015.07.026.
Vielstädte, L., Karstens, J. , Haeckel, M. , Schmidt, M. , Linke, P. , Reimann, S., Liebetrau, V., McGinnis, D. and Wallmann, K.
(2015)
Quantification of methane emissions at abandoned gas wells in the Central North Sea.
Marine and Petroleum Geology, 68
.
pp. 848-860.
DOI 10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2015.07.030.
Wiggins, S. W., Leifer, I., Linke, P. and Hildebrand, J. A.
(2015)
Long-term acoustic monitoring at North Sea well site 22/4b.
Marine and Petroleum Geology, 68
.
pp. 776-788.
DOI 10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2015.02.011.
Singh, A., Baer, S. E., Riebesell, U. , Martiny, A. C. and Lomas, M. W.
(2015)
C : N : P stoichiometry at the Bermuda Atlantic Time-series Study station in the North Atlantic Ocean.
Biogeosciences (BG), 12
(21).
pp. 6389-6403.
DOI 10.5194/bg-12-6389-2015.
Kriest, I. and Oschlies, A.
(2015)
MOPS-1.0: modelling the regulation of the global oceanic nitrogen budget by marine biogeochemical processes.
Geoscientific Model Development, 8
.
pp. 2929-2957.
DOI 10.5194/gmd-8-2929-2015.
Panzer, K., Yilmaz, P., Weiß, M., Reich, L., Richter, M., Wiese, J. , Schmaljohann, R., Labes, A., Imhoff, J. F. , Glöckner, F. O. and Reich, M.
(2015)
Identification of Habitat-Specific Biomes of Aquatic Fungal Communities Using a Comprehensive Nearly Full-Length 18S rRNA Dataset Enriched with Contextual Data.
PLoS ONE, 10
(7).
e0134377.
DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0134377.
Koeve, W. , Wagner, H., Kähler, P. and Oschlies, A.
(2015)
14C-age tracers in global ocean circulation models.
Geoscientific Model Development, 8
.
pp. 2079-2094.
DOI 10.5194/gmd-8-2079-2015.
Somes, C. J. and Oschlies, A.
(2015)
On the influence of “non-Redfield” dissolved organic nutrient dynamics on the spatial distribution of N2fixation and the size of the marine fixed nitrogen inventory.
Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 29
(7).
pp. 973-993.
DOI 10.1002/2014GB005050.
Landolfi, A. , Koeve, W. , Dietze, H. , Kähler, P. and Oschlies, A.
(2015)
A new perspective on environmental controls of marine nitrogen fixation.
Geophysical Research Letters, 42
(11).
pp. 4482-4489.
DOI 10.1002/2015GL063756.
Stolpovsky, K., Dale, A. W. and Wallmann, K.
(2015)
Towards a parameterization of global-scale organic carbon mineralization kinetics in surface marine sediments.
Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 29
.
pp. 812-829.
DOI 10.1002/2015GB005087.
Dale, A. W. , Nickelsen, L., Scholz, F., Hensen, C. , Oschlies, A. and Wallmann, K.
(2015)
A revised global estimate of dissolved iron fluxes from marine sediments.
Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 29
(5).
pp. 691-707.
DOI 10.1002/2014GB005017.
Schmale, O., Leifer, I., Schneider von Deimling, J., Stolle, C., Krause, S., Kießlich, K., Fram, A. and Treude, T.
(2015)
Bubble transport Mechanism: Indications for a gas bubble-mediated inoculation of benthic methanothrophs into the water column.
Continental Shelf Research, 103
.
pp. 70-78.
DOI 10.1016/j.csr.2015.04.022.
Rovelli, L., Attard, K. M., Bryant, L. D., Flögel, S., Stahl, H. J., Roberts, M., Linke, P. and Glud, R. N.
(2015)
Benthic O2 uptake of two cold-water coral communities estimated with the non-invasive eddy-correlation technique.
Marine Ecology Progress Series, 525
.
pp. 97-104.
DOI 10.3354/meps11211.
Dale, A. W. , Sommer, S., Lomnitz, U., Montes, I., Treude, T. , Liebetrau, V., Gier, J., Hensen, C. , Dengler, M. , Stolpovsky, K., Bryant, L. D. and Wallmann, K.
(2015)
Organic carbon production, mineralization and preservation on the Peruvian margin.
Biogeosciences (BG), 12
.
pp. 1537-1559.
DOI 10.5194/bg-12-1537-2015.
Schmidt, M. , Linke, P. , Sommer, S., Esser, D. and Cherednichenko, S.
(2015)
Natural CO2 seeps offshore Panarea – A test site for subsea CO2 leak detection technology.
Marine Technology Society Journal, 49
(1).
pp. 19-30.
DOI 10.4031/MTSJ.49.1.3.
Aswathy, N., Boucher, O., Quaas, M., Niemeier, U., Muri, H., Muelmenstaedt, J. and Quaas, J.
(2015)
Climate extremes in multi-model simulations of stratospheric aerosol and marine cloud brightening climate engineering.
Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 15
(16).
pp. 9593-9610.
DOI 10.5194/acp-15-9593-2015.
Benisch, K., Koehn, D., Al Hagrey, S. A., Rabbel, W. and Bauer, S. (2015) A combined seismic and geoelectrical monitoring approach for CO2 storage using a synthetic field site. Environmental Earth Sciences, 73 (7). pp. 3077-3094. DOI 10.1007/s12665-014-3603-0.
Mawji, E., Schlitzer, R., Masferrer Dodas, E., Abadie, C., Abouchami, W., Anderson, R. F., Baars, O., Bakker, K., Baskaran, M., Bates, N. R., Bluhm, K., Bowie, A., Bown, J., Boye, M., Boyle, E. A., Branellec, P., Bruland, K. W., Brzezinski, M. A., Bucciarelli, E., Buesseler, K., Butler, E., Cai, P., Cardinal, D., Casciotti, K., Chaves, J., Cheng, H., Chever, F., Church, T. M., Colman, A. S., Conway, T. M., Croot, P., Cutter, G. A., de Baar, H. J. W., de Souza, G. F., Dehairs, F., Deng, F., Dieu, H. T., Dulaquais, G., Echegoyen-Sanz, Y., Edwards, R. L., Fahrbach, E., Fitzsimmons, J., Fleisher, M., Frank, M. , Friedrich, J., Fripiat, F., Galer, S. J. G., Gamo, T., Solsona, E. G., Gerringa, L. J. A., Godoy, J. M., Gonzalez, S., Grossteffan, E., Hatta, M., Hayes, C. T., Heller, M., Henderson, G., Huang, K. F., Jeandel, C., Jenkins, W. J., John, S., Kenna, T. C., Klunder, M., Kretschmer, S., Kumamoto, Y., Laan, P., Labatut, M., Lacan, F., Lam, P. J., Lannuzel, D., le Moigne, F., Lechtenfeld, O. J., Lohan, M. C., Lu, Y., Masque, P., McClain, C. R., Measures, C., Middag, R., Moffett, J., Navidad, A., Nishioka, J., Noble, A., Obata, H., Ohnemus, D. C., Owens, S., Planchon, F., Pradoux, C., Puigcorbe, V., Quay, P., Radic, A., Rehkämper, M., Remenyi, T., Rijkenberg, M. J. A., Rintoul, S., Robinson, L. F., Roeske, T., Rosenberg, M., Rutgers van der Loeff, M., Ryabenko, E., Saito, M. A., Roshan, S., Salt, L., Sarthou, G., Schauer, U., Scott, P., Sedwick, P. N., Sha, L., Shiller, A. M., Sigman, D. M., Smethie, W., Smith, G. J., Sohrin, Y., Speich, S., Stichel, T., Stutsman, J., Swift, J. H., Tagliabue, A., Thomas, A., Tsunogai, U., Twining, B. S., van Aken, H. M., Van Heuven, S., van Ooijen, J., van Weerlee, E., Venchiarutti, C., Voelker, A. H. L., Wake, B., Warner, M. J., Woodward, E. M. S., Wu, J., Wyatt, N., Yoshikawa, H., Zheng, X. Y., Xue, Z., Zieringer, M. and Zimmer, L. A.
(2015)
The GEOTRACES Intermediate Data Product 2014.
Marine Chemistry, 177
.
pp. 1-8.
DOI 10.1016/j.marchem.2015.04.005.
Requate, T. (2015) Green tradable certificates versus feed-in tariffs in the promotion of renewable energy shares. Environmental Economics and Policy Studies, 17 (2). pp. 211-239. DOI 10.1007/s10018-014-0096-8.
McGinnis, D., Sommer, S., Lorke, A., Glud, R. N. and Linke, P.
(2014)
Quantifying tidally-driven benthic oxygen exchange across permeable sediments: An aquatic eddy correlation study.
Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 119
(10).
pp. 6918-6932.
DOI 10.1002/2014JC010303.
Karaca, D., Schleicher, T., Hensen, C. , Linke, P. and Wallmann, K.
(2014)
Quantification of methane emission from bacterial mat sites at Quepos Slide offshore Costa Rica.
International Journal of Earth Sciences, 103
(7).
pp. 1817-1829.
DOI 10.1007/s00531-012-0839-3.
Visbeck, M. , Kronfeld-Goharani, U., Neumann, B., Rickels, W., Schmidt, J. , van Doorn, E., Matz-Lück, N., Ott, K. and Quaas, M.
(2014)
Securing Blue Wealth: The Need for a Special Sustainable Development Goal for the Ocean and Coasts.
Marine Policy, 48
.
pp. 184-191.
DOI 10.1016/j.marpol.2014.03.005.
Rickels, W., Quaas, M. and Visbeck, M.
(2014)
How healthy is the human-ocean system?.
Environmental Research Letters, 9
(4).
044013.
DOI 10.1088/1748-9326/9/4/044013.
Dumke, I., Berndt, C. , Crutchley, G. J. , Krause, S. , Liebetrau, V., Gay, A. and Couillard, M.
(2014)
Seal bypass at the Giant Gjallar Vent (Norwegian Sea): indications for a new phase of fluid venting at a 56-Ma-old fluid migration system.
Marine Geology, 351
.
pp. 38-52.
DOI 10.1016/j.margeo.2014.03.006.
Pansch, C. , Schaub, I., Havenhand, J. and Wahl, M.
(2014)
Habitat traits and food availability determine the response of marine invertebrates to ocean acidification.
Global Change Biology, 20
(3).
pp. 765-777.
DOI 10.1111/gcb.12478.
Doepke, L. K. and Requate, T. (2014) The economics of exploiting gas hydrates. Energy Economics, 42 . pp. 355-364. DOI 10.1016/j.eneco.2013.11.001.
Thebaud, O., Innes, J., Doyen, L., Lample, M., Macher, C., Mahevas, S., Mullon, C., Planque, B., Quaas, M., Smith, T. and Vermard, Y. (2014) Building ecological-economic models and scenarios of marine resource systems: Workshop report. Marine Policy, 43 . pp. 382-386. DOI 10.1016/j.marpol.2013.05.010.
Prieß, M., Piwonski, J., Koziel, S., Oschlies, A. and Slawig, T.
(2013)
Accelerated Parameter Identification in a 3D Marine Biogeochemical Model Using Surrogate-Based Optimization.
Ocean Modelling, 68
.
pp. 22-36.
DOI 10.1016/j.ocemod.2013.04.003.
Dale, A. W. , Bertics, V. J., Treude, T. , Sommer, S. and Wallmann, K.
(2013)
Modeling benthic–pelagic nutrient exchange processes and porewater distributions in a seasonally hypoxic sediment: evidence for massive phosphate release by Beggiatoa?.
Biogeosciences (BG), 10
(2).
pp. 629-651.
DOI 10.5194/bg-10-629-2013.
Chuang, P. C., Dale, A. W. , Wallmann, K. , Haeckel, M. , Yang, T. F., Chen, N. C., Chen, H. C., Chen, H. W., Lin, S., Sun, C. H., You, C. F., Horng, C. S., Wang, Y. and Chung, S. H.
(2013)
Relating sulfate and methane dynamics to geology: Accretionary prism offshore SW Taiwan.
Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, 14
(7).
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Research activities
Carbon Sinks - Carbon Leakage
Dr. Wilfried Rickels,
While limitation of temperature increase to 2° for climate change has again been confirmed on the recent meeting of the parties in Cancun (UNFCCC 2010), actual greenhouse gas emission (GHG) trends and corresponding reduction announcements challenge the credibility of this target. However, estimates of the World Energy Outlook (2010) show that society can still comply with this target by reducing emissions drastically in the near future and storing a significant amount of carbon in non-atmospheric reservoirs (IEA 2010). Non-atmospheric reservoirs include underground and geologic formations, trees, soils, and in particular the deep ocean and sub-seabed storage (Herzog et al. 2003). This central issue is addressed by phase II research topic “Carbon Sinks”, which seeks to investigate various promoted approaches and techniques for enhancing oceanic carbon uptake. The aim of this research topic is to investigate both the physical and the economic storage potential of the ocean and the seabed for different marine carbon sequestration technologies. A particular focus in the research topic is on the backflow of CO2 into the atmosphere on decadal to centennial time scales because carbon stored in non-atmospheric reservoirs may be released intendedly or unintendedly and leak back to the atmosphere. Moreover, this carbon leakage might have severe impacts on marine ecosystems. Due to this potential non-permanent characteristic of the reservoirs, both the storage and the carbon emission offsets generated are perceived as temporary or at least partially temporary. This means that only a fraction of the storage is permanent. Therefore, temporary carbon storage, although providing climate benefits in the short run, could lead to higher atmospheric carbon concentration in the future and might aggravate climate damages in the long run.
Impact of sub-seabed CO2 storage on marine ecosystems: reactive transport of Cos through surface sediments
A number of technologies and approaches have been proposed and implemented to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to mitigate global climate change. In addition to expanding energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy, geological storage of CO2 is perceived to be one of the most promising methods that could allow significant reduction in CO2 emissions over a short and medium term (IPCC, 2005 Pacala & Socolow, 2004). The newly started ECO2 project will establish risk assessments on the marine ecosystem during potential CO2 leakage. For safe employment of sub-seabed carbon dioxide sequestration in practice, it is necessary to understand the reactive transport behaviour of CO2 gas bubbles/fluids through the sedimentary strata and CO2-sediment interactions, which are likely to have an effect on the mobilisation of heavy metals, providing an additional environmental risk (besides ocean acidification).
New nitrogen production in diazotrophic cyanobacteria and the effect on community carbon sequestration
Dr. Allanah Paul,
The aim of this project is to investigate the potential of nitrogen fixing (diazotrophic) organisms to stimulate biological carbon sequestration in the ocean in future projected ocean acidification. Thus, this study would be an important contribution to any or all of the topics of ‘ocean sinks’ (investigating amplification of a potential biological carbon sink), ‘evolving ocean’ (gaining insight into the ocean in future) and ‘ocean interfaces’ (relevance to organic matter dynamics and cycling). Mesocosm experiments would provide a strong, multifaceted platform to investigate the following key research questions: - What is the fate and distribution of newly fixed nitrogen in algal communities? Is this distribution affected by pCO2? Is the rate of uptake and cycling of N affected by pCO2? - How are changes in cyanobacteria metabolism influencing the carbon uptake of the wider plankton community, hence the ability of the ocean to sequester carbon?
Modeling zooplankton and its impacts of marine ecosystems and particle fluxes in the future ocean
I will add a realistic representation of zooplankton in a 3D biogeochemical model through a strong interconnection between numerical modelling and in situ observations. This objective will be reached in three steps: (i) the development of new biogeochemical models that include a realistic representation of the zooplankton vertical distribution and its impact on the particle fluxes and pelagic ecosystems (ii) the validation and calibration of previously developed models against a novel global dataset of coinciding observations of particle and zooplankton vertical distribution the validated model will be used to (iii) predict the zooplankton distribution and fate of the organic carbon pump at the horizon 2100 in a context of global warming, ocean acidification and expanding Oxygen Minimum Zones (OMZs).
Quabble
Dr. Jens Schneider von Deimling,
In view of global change, the use of sub-seafloor natural gas and methane hydrate resources, as well as marine carbon dioxide sequestration techniques, there is growing concern about the transfer of the greenhouse gases methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2) from sediments through the water column into the atmosphere as well as the spreading of low-pH waters due to oxidation of emitted CH4 and dissolution of leaked CO2. Crucial for our understanding of the fate of rising gas bubbles is the measurement of gas bubble sizes and their rise velocities together with chemical investigation of the gas composition. In this proposal we present a novel approach for quantitative stereo-optic imaging and fully automated gas bubble size and flux determinations. Those results can subsequently be used as input parameters for geochemical and hydroacoustic modeling.
Surrogate-based Optimization for Marine Biochemical Models
Dr. Iris Kriest,
Marine biogeochemical models are of great importance for a quantitative understanding of the ocean’s role in the global carbon cycle and are essential for projections of the oceanic CO2 uptake and the marine ecosystem’s responses to climate change. The applicability of a marine biogeochemical model for prognostic simulations crucially depends on its ability to adequately describe the relevant physical, chemical, and biological processes. This is typically assessed by a calibration of the often poorly known model parameters. For three-dimensional coupled biogeochemistry-circulation models, a calibration using conventional optimization algorithms is still very time-consuming or even infeasible even on high performance computers. Such a computationally demanding calibration can now be achieved by novel time-efficient Surrogate-based Optimization (SBO) techniques. Extending and advancing our previously developed modular and flexible optimization framework, we propose to perform a calibration of two three-dimensional biogeochemical models of different structural complexity against real data of global distributions of phosphate and oxygen. The proposed interdisciplinary research at the interface of numerical optimization and marine biogeochemistry is expected to provide significant contributions to seek powerful and versatile tools for model-based investigations of marine ecosystems.
Automated high-resoluton imaging system for non-invasive in situ measurements of marine partcles and zooplankton
Dr. Rainer Kiko,
Automated underwater imaging systems offer the unique opportunity for non-invasive determination of plankton composition and particle size distribution in the natural environment. In situ imaging systems have a number of advantages over traditional net-based approaches, including high spatial resolution (e.g. to obtain vertical gradients), detection of unperturbed particle size spectra, and automated data analysis. Because existing systems were engineered for deep-water deployment and ship-based operations, their size and weight precludes their use in mesocosm studies and their operation from small boats. Moreover, the rapid development in CCD chip technology makes it possible now to design imaging systems with much higher resolution than presently available. We propose to work jointly with the group of Prof. R. Koch (Multimedia Information Processing) and a local industrial partner (Develogic GmbH, Hamburg) to develop an automated lightweight underwater high-resolution imaging system (KielVision) for in situ determination of zooplankton composition and particle size spectra. During the next three years, the newly developed system will be used during KOSMOS experiments off Sweden, Gran Canary, and Peru, time-series measurements at Boknis Eck and in the Kiel Fjord, and an SFB754 cruise to the tropical Eastern North Atlantic.
Biogeochemistry and Ecology of Oxygen Depleted Eddies in the Eastern Tropical Atlantic
Dr. Johannes Karstensen,
The recent discovery of isolated low oxygen (O2) water masses in the generally well ventilated open ocean region near the Cape Verde Archipelago changed our understanding of oceanic processes in this area. The eastern tropical North Atlantic (ETNA) is characterized by a highly productive coastal upwelling system off northwest Africa, enhanced Saharan dust deposition, and a moderate O2 minimum zone (OMZ) with lowest O2 concentrations just under 40 μmol/kg. Current understanding is that the ETNA OMZ has been expanding over the past decades both in terms of vertical extent and intensity . Nevertheless, the recently observed exceptionally low O2 concentrations just below the mixed layer ranging from hypoxic (<20 μmol/kg) to even anoxic (<1 μmol/kg) conditions have never been reported before for the ETNA. These O2 depleted isolated water masses were attributed to mesoscale eddies which originated in the highly productive coastal Mauritanian upwelling and propagated westwards. We propose a multi-facetted interdisciplinary field study in the eastern tropical North Atlantic to investigate biogeochemical and ecological processes in recently discovered eddies that entail unexpected subsurface anoxia and hypoxia in the open ocean.
Transfer and Remineralization of Biogenic Elements in Tropical Oxygen Minimum Zones
Dr. Frederic Le Moigne,
Global models predict a decline in dissolved oxygen concentrations and a consequent expansion of the Oxygen Minimum Zones (OMZs) in the future ocean. A detailed mechanistic understanding of the biogeochemistry of OMZs is therefore critical to allow predictions of oceanic processes under future climate conditions-. The biological carbon pump (BCP) constitutes a crucial biogeochemical mechanism which of carbon is transferred from the surface to the deep ocean. The BCP exports organic matter in the forms of sinking particles and dissolved compounds to the deep ocean where it is sequestered over geological time scales. There is currently no consensus on the fate of sinking OM and the efficiency of the BCP in OMZ areas. Previous particles flux studies have shown that the BCP is more efficient in suboxic zones relative to well- oxygenated waters in close vicinity. However, incubation experiments performed using sinking material collected in oxic and suboxic areas have indicated similar remineralisation rates under both conditions suggesting that suboxic conditions do not facilitate the transfer of sinking OM through the mesopelagic zone (below the euphotic zone to 1000m). This project will assess how different oxygen conditions and surface ocean productivity levels impact C:N:P remineralization rates of sinking particles. I propose to measure remineralization rate of sinking particles collected at multiple depths using large water volume collection devices and specialized remineralization incubation chambers. I will participate on Kiel based project SFB 754 related cruise in the equatorial Pacific OMZ off the shelf of Peru. I will then investigate the relationships between oxygen levels and C:N:P remineralization rates and contribute to an improved parameterisation of the BCP in biogeochemical models of the OMZ. Overall, this project aims to provide an improved description the BCP in low oxygen ocean regions.
Parametric rotated sonar as a new tool for versatile seafloor classification
Acoustic surveying using singlebeam echosounders represents one state of the art technology for seafloor classifications by echo shape analyses. In turn swath sonar multibeam offers an alternative by inversion of acoustic angular response into seafloor properties. We suggest combining both approaches for the first time with a novel technique providing swath capabilities to singlebeam systems. The new approach additionally targets near-subbottom volume scattering as a potentially reliable habitat proxy that has been neglected so far. The approach has the potential for a much improved seabed classification compared to previous approaches by introducing angular response and nearsubbottom scattering analyses together with statistical tools.
All‐in‐focus: Combining lightfields and shadowgraphs for advanced underwater imaging
Dr. Kevin Köser,
Underwater imaging has emerged as a valuable tool in biological oceanography, allowing for non-invasive in situ quantification and classification of organisms and particles at high spatial and temporal resolution. Qualitative and quantitative information encompassing multiple trophic levels is crucial to improve our mechanistic understanding of food-web dynamics and the vertical flux of organic matter to the deep ocean. However, despite significant progress over the last decades, no instrument exists that can obtain high-resolution images of marine organisms over a wide size spectrum (few μm to several cm). We will solve this interdisciplinary problem by constructing the All-In-Focus imaging system (AIF), a single unconventional and novel imaging system that will unify a lightfield camera system and a shadowgraph approach in one single system. The lightfield camera system allows the retrieval of three-dimensional information and greatly enhances the depth of field in comparison to standard cameras whereas the shadowgraph imaging approach allows to image a wide size spectrum of objects in a large image volume. This project is attended with high risk, since lightfield technology is still a novel area subject to research and has never been used before in underwater settings and is therefore unlikely to be funded by 3rd party organization. As a result of our institutional partnership, we will combine our domain specific knowledge, computational camera systems and lightfield imaging at the CAU and the experience in underwater imaging at the GEOMAR, in this solution-oriented project to significantly improve our abilities to image the ocean.
Experimental evolution going wild
Prof. Rüdiger Schulz,
A major unknown in predicting the consequences of ocean change for marine life is the ability of organisms to adapt to changing environmental conditions. The question hereby is not whether adaptation can occur but whether it can occur rapidly enough to maintain ecosystem function and services unchanged1. The adaptive potential is proportional to the population size and generation time, with highest adaptation rates expected for species with large population sizes and short generation times2. While these two criteria are met by many taxa in the pelagic and benthic realms, a surprisingly small number of studies have investigated the evolutionary adaptation of marine organisms to ocean change3-8. Existing approaches in experimental evolution generally involve laboratory culture experiments on isolated species, leading to a trade-off between uncovering general evolutionary mechanisms and understanding how they apply in complex natural environments. To overcome this limitation, we propose to take experimental evolution into the wild by conducting a long-term in situ CO2 perturbation experiment with natural plankton communities under close to natural conditions. From this experiment, which will be the first of its kind, we expect to provide a unique data set on the potential for evolutionary adaptation to ocean acidification in key plankton groups within their natural environment.
Autonomous Fish Echosounding – or How Combining High‐Tech Oceanography, Hydroacoustics and Citizen Science
Dr. Jörn Schmidt,
Increasing overexploitation of worldwide fish stocks, in particular in developing countries, calls for cost effective fisheries and ecosystem data collection as basis for sustainable stock management strategies. Here, we propose a pilot study that links state-of-the-art oceanographic research with echosounding technology and fishermen citizen science. This study aims to develop autonomous monitoring capabilites for small pelagic fish around Cape Verde Islands that are piggy-backed to oceanographic observations.
Underwater adhesion as a wetting phenomenon: A case study on wetting properties and rheology of barnacle cement
Prof. Martin Wahl,
Wetting is the fundamental requirement to obtain a strong adhesive joint by using glue. Underwater this requirement is a major challenge since water has to be displaced from the surface-glue interface. Many marine organisms use an adhesive for permanent or temporary settlement to living and non-living surfaces and although the chemistry of marine adhesives is relatively well known. The exact physical properties, which dictate the wetting behavior of these adhesives on different substrates have been rarely investigated. Within this project we aim to test, in a case study, the polymerization dynamics of fresh barnacle cement in dependence of various abiotic and biotic factors, as well as its wetting properties of surfaces with well-defined surface energies (different polar and non-polar portion). Using the experimental results obtained the wetting behavior of the cement on different substrates can be modelled and compared to our recent work on antifouling surfaces and to literature data and to design optimized surface textures for strong biofouling reduction. Moreover, this project might help to identify important environmental and biogenic factors, other marine organisms may apply as defense strategies against epibiosis.
MicroZooImager: An integrated optical system for microzooplankton analysis
Dr. Jan Taucher,
Microzooplankton, a group of heterotrophic organisms in the size range of 20-200 μm, are major consumers of marine primary production in the world oceans. Data on their taxonomy and biomass is traditionally obtained by microscopy, which is very labor- and time-intensive. This impedes a high spatial and temporal resolution of data, which would be needed to improve our mechanistic understanding of the role of microzooplankton in marine ecosystems and carbon cycling. To solve this problem, we propose to develop a novel imaging system for rapid data acquisition on microzooplankton abundance, biomass, body size and taxonomy. The instrumental design will be based on a high-resolution line-scan camera with telecentric optics and illumination and provide high-quality images of the multitude of microzooplankton specimen contained in natural plankton samples. Acquired images will be analyzed with existing software for image processing and automated classification, thus allowing for a swift workflow and acquisition of final data. Our interdisciplinary project unifies marine ecology, optical engineering, and computer sciences with the ultimate goal of establishing a rapid and efficient method for studying microzooplankton communities.
