Dr. Aaron J. Beck

Senior Scientist

Topic 6: Marine and polar Life

RD2: Marine Biogeochemistry
RU CH Chemical Oceanography

WG Water Column Biogeochemistry

Research Focus

• trace and redox-active elements
• U-Th series radionuclide tracers
• pollutants including munitions compounds, microplastics and plastics leachates

Ongoing Projects

• CAMMera (2025-2028), EU CINEA (GA pending)
• CONMAR-II (2024-2027), DAM/BMBF (03F0981A) | Website: conmar-munition.eu
• MUNI-RISK (2024-2027), EU EMFAF (101173075) | Website: muni-risk.eu
• MMinE-SwEEPER (2024-2028), EU Horizon (101167839) | Website: mminesweeper-munition.eu
• BALTWRECK (2024-2027), South Baltic Interreg (STHB.02.02-IP.01-0009/23) | Website: submariner-network.eu/baltwreck/
• P-LEACH (2022-2025), Helmholtz Innovation Pool (Innovationspool) | Website: ufz.de/p-leach/
• LABPLAS (2021-2025), EU Horizon (101003954) | Website: labplas.eu

Completed Projects

• VAMOS (2023-2024), BMBF (03F0942A) 
• CONMAR (2021-2024), DAM/BMBF (03F0912A) | Website: conmar-munition.eu
• AMMOTRACe (2021-2024), MARTERA/BMWi (03SX555A) | Website: geomar.de/en/ammotrace
• HOTMIC (2020-2023), JPI Oceans/BMBF (03F0851A) | Website: hotmic.eu
• ExPloTect (2019-2022), EU EMFF (863693) | Website: explotect.eu
• UDEMM (2016-2019), BMBF (03F0747A) | Website: udemm.geomar.de

Vita

• 2016 - today: GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Senior scientist
• 2015 - 2018: Virginia Institute of Marine Science/College of William & Mary, Adjunct Professor
• 2009 - 2015: Virginia Institute of Marine Science/College of William & Mary, Assistant Professor
• 2007 - 2009: Max-Planck-Institute for Marine Microbiology, Postdoctoral Researcher
• 2007: Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, Ph.D.
• 2003: Coastal Carolina University, B. Sc. Marine Science

Publications

For a full list of publications please click here or visit Google Scholar.

• Beck, A.J., Gledhill, M., Gräwe, U., Kampmeier, M., Eggert, A., Schlosser, C., Stamer, B., Greinert, J. and Achterberg, E.P. (2025). Widespread environmental contamination from relic munitions in the southwestern Baltic Sea. Chemosphere, 372, p.144115.
  DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2025.144115
• Esposito, M., Beck, A. J., Martinez-Cabanas, M., Gledhill, M., & Achterberg, E. P. (2023). Rapid, At-Sea Detection of Munition Compounds in Coastal Waters Using a Shipboard System. ACS ES&T Water, 3(9), 2890-2898.
  DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acsestwater.3c00096
• Beck, A.J., Kaandorp, M., Hamm, T., Bogner, B., Kossel, E., Lenz, M., Haeckel, M. and Achterberg, E.P. (2023). Rapid shipboard measurement of net-collected marine microplastic polymer types using near-infrared hyperspectral imaging. Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, pp.1-10.
  DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-023-04634-6
• Beck, A. J., Gledhill, M., Kampmeier, M., Feng, C., Schlosser, C., Greinert, J., & Achterberg, E. P. (2022). Explosives compounds from sea-dumped relic munitions accumulate in marine biota. Science of The Total Environment, 806, 151266.
  DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.151266
• Beck, A. J., van der Lee, E. M., Eggert, A., Stamer, B., Gledhill, M., Schlosser, C., & Achterberg, E. P. (2019). In situ measurements of explosive compound dissolution fluxes from exposed munition material in the Baltic Sea. Environmental science & technology. 53, 5652−5660.
  DOI: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.est.8b06974