Marine Snow as garbage disposal in the Ocean?

24.01.2020/Kiel. Even though it might not be visible to the naked eye, microplastic has now been found in most parts of the ocean. But the concentrations near the surface should be much higher, considering the enormous amounts of waste that reach the ocean every year. Where is the other microplastic...

Circulation regime of the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean during the last Glacial Maximum (ca. 20,000 years ago). After Huang et al. (2020).

Quo vadis Antarctic Bottom Water?

22 January 2020/Kiel.The formation of deep water, which is an important and sensitive component of the climate system, takes place in only a few parts of the ocean. Apart from the best-known region in the subpolar North Atlantic, this also happens in a few places in the Southern Hemisphere, especial...

The research vessel MARIA S. MERIAN in the port of Bridgetown. Here the EUREC4A campaign will start on Monday. Photo: Johannes Karstensen/GEOMAR

Clouds: One of the Great Mysteries of Climate Science

16 January 2020/Bridgetown, Kiel. This weekend, the almost six-week international field study EUREC4A (Elucidating the role of clouds-circulation coupling in climate) will start with the participation of the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel. The aim is to test theories on the role of ...

The jellyfish Aurelia aurita blooms in surface waters before dying and then sinking into the ocean. Photo: Christian Gaillard.

Tiny, but effective

08 January 2020/Kiel. Barely visible to the naked eye, gelatinous zooplankton is an important part of the marine ecosystem. In addition, the small organisms also transport large quantities of carbon into deeper layers of the ocean, thus making an important contribution to marine carbon transport. Th...