The ecosystem of the German Bight is not only one of the worldwide “hot spots” strongly affected by climate change but -as an important economic region-  also subject to numerous direct anthropogenic influences like tourism, fishery operations, shipping traffic, pollution & eutrophication from various sources,  excavating and dumping of sediments and recently, the set up of wind farms at sea.

In this context, environmental surveillance efforts are unfortunately mostly focused on for-years-established parameters defined by OSPAR or BLMP but in most cases completely ignoring those organisms which really drive the ecosystem: the bacteria.

Based on a few pilot-projects, we aim to “bring the bacteria to public perception”, hopefully leading to a revised comprehension of surveillance agencies for future environmental monitoring concepts.

Current projects:

• Molecular and phyolgenetic characterization of the benthic bacterial communities of the German Bight
• Seasonality of pathogenic Vibrio spp. in seawater, plankton, and shellfish of North and Baltic Sea
• Ocean acidification effects on marine bacterial communities