KIMMCO – A flagship project for AI-controlled monitoring of marine microalgae as a CO2 sink
ACRONYM
KIMMCO
Title
KIMMCO – A flagship project for AI-controlled monitoring of marine microalgae as a CO2 sink
General information
The ocean absorbs 31% of anthropogenic CO₂ emissions, making it one of the largest CO₂ sinks globally. Although marine phytoplankton represents only a small proportion of plant biomass, it accounts for 40% of CO₂ uptake by all primary producers, playing a disproportionately significant role in natural climate protection.
Maintaining phytoplankton diversity is essential for sustaining marine primary productivity as it ensures the presence of highly productive species. As the basis of the food web, phytoplankton also promotes biodiversity in higher organisms.
Accurate recording of phytoplankton is required for the mitigation and adaptation of coastal ecosystems to the effects of climate change. Inadequate monitoring means that toxic algae species can remain undetected, which can have devastating consequences for higher organisms.
KIMMCO addresses the question of how AI applications can be used to monitor and improve the state of marine ecosystems. The project supports the goal of preserving and strengthening the ocean's natural CO₂ sink function and reducing the release of climate-relevant gases, such as CO₂ and methane, which are particularly released when ecological conditions are poor. The project therefore plays a key role in developing new approaches and measures to bolster natural climate protection.
The project is being funded by the Natural Climate Protection Action Programme (ANK) of the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN) with a total of more than two million euros.
Start
July, 2025
End
December, 2027
Funding (total)
2156000
Funding (GEOMAR)
1223000
Funding body / Programme
-
Other
/ Bundesministerium für Umwelt, Klimaschutz, Naturschutz und nukleare Sicherheit (BMUKN)
Coordination
Helmholtz-Zentrum für Ozeanforschung Kiel (GEOMAR), Germany
Contact
Partners
Kiel University (CAU), Germany
Landesamt für Umwelt (LfU), Germany
Bbe Moldaenke, Germany
4H-Jena engineering GmbH, Germany
Landesamt für Umwelt (LfU), Germany
Bbe Moldaenke, Germany
4H-Jena engineering GmbH, Germany
