understand natural fluctuations and directed climatic changes in benthic communities in the North Sea. In the German North Sea, the animal communities of the seafloor experience substantial interannual fluctuations

2017
4 January 2017, 2 weeks and 5 days at sea. The morning finds Polarstern alongside the ice shelf edge, or, more precisely, at the north-eastern berth of Atka Sea Port.

Temperatures around the world continue to rise – and the North Sea is no exception. Yet, in addition to this gradual warming, increasingly frequent and intense heat events also have consequences for marine [...] with their repercussions for plankton. They have also conducted an experiment that exposed the North Sea plankton community to different future warmer scenarios, both with and without heatwaves. The r

Marine Litter
Micro-plastic particles pose a risk not only to sea birds, whales and organisms at the bottom of the sea. In two new studies, scientists of the Alfred Wegener Institute Hemholtz Centre [...] Polar and Marine Research (AWI) show that plastic waste is also eaten by nautili as well as North and Baltic Sea fish such as cod and mackerel.

2001, Prof Karen Wiltshire began investigating changes in the ecosystems of the North Sea, particularly in the Wadden Sea, in connection with anthropogenic and natural influences – like climate change – [...] Director of the AWI’s Biological Institute Helgoland. After working more than two decades in the High North, she assumed a new position at Trinity College Dublin and will found a new climate institute in the

transports contaminants, stemming from industry, agriculture, and water treatment plants, to Germany’s North Sea coast. Their concentrations vary due to inlets found along the course of the river, but also due [...] microplastic particles, nutrients and climate gases found in the river change on their way to the North Sea.

biotopes in Germany’s Exclusive Economic Zone in the North Sea. Contact partner: Dr Jan Beermann Long-term monitoring of macroalgae and seagrass in the Wadden Sea Seagrass meadows are highly productive coastal [...] Research projects Distribution of benthic communities in the North Sea The EU’s Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) obligates member states to monitor the status and development of biotic communities [...] long-term development of seagrass stocks. While the seagrass meadows in the north of the Schleswig-Holstein area of the Wadden Sea have grown considerably since 1994, unfortunately no such recovery can be

in quantitative assessment of the impact of bottom trawling on carbon storage in the North Sea and global shelf seas was recently published in the journal Nature Geoscience .
[...] Flatfish and shrimp are caught in the North Sea by using trawls that are dragged across the seabed. This releases carbon into the water and carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere, as shown by the latest

and distribution of benthic communities in the North Sea Our mission is to provide an improved understanding of the benthic communities of the North Sea, setting the basis for an ecological assessment [...] observe animal communities in and on the seafloor of the German Exclusive Economic Zone of the North Sea and its protected areas. Further, we investigate how the species communities recover after the exclusion

change that is causing problems for the North Sea. Rising sea levels, more frequent storm surges and coastal erosion threaten nature and settlements alike. The Wadden Sea - one of Europe's most species-rich [...] AWI Sylt and Professor at the University of Bremen. Zooplankton Coastal research Coastal seas such as the North Sea are truly multi-talented: they provide energy, secure jobs, enable trade and attract millions [...] year. However, economic exploitation comes at a price - and the state of the sea is a growing cause for concern. The North Sea is one of the most intensively utilised marine areas in Europe. Fishing has