Mirrors is a sound installation that follows the acoustic journey of the Minke Whale as it travels from Antarctica to Namibia. A collaboration between artist-researcher Geraint Rhys and Marine Acoustic scientist Dr Ilse van Opzeeland it charts how the vocalizations of the Minke changes with a change in location as it migrates across the oceans.
Deep-sea mining is a potential new industry in which non-renewable resources could be extracted from the bottom of the deep sea. However, as little is known about the ecosystems of these depths and the impacts of this industry, the prospect of mining these resources poses a great risk.
Every litre of seawater is full of genetic material from all kinds of different organisms. Biologist Silke Laakmann and her team are pioneering techniques that use these DNA traces to determine the biodiversity of marine communities.
My summer spent at the Helmholtz Institute of Functional and Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) has broadened my horizons and strengthened my research skills. The HIFMB allowed me to explore new areas of research and further develop my interests in advancing how we communicate complex scientific topics to the public.
The Southern Ocean is one of the most important oceanic regions for uptake and storage of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere. This uptake of CO2 is driven by faecal pellets produced by Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) and salps (Salpa thompsoni), krill and salp poo, the most important macrozooplankton grazers in the Southern Ocean. Even ...
I was interested in coming to the HIFMB and becoming a part of the MARISCO project, to learn more about oceanic and interdisciplinary research as part of a summer Global Sustainability Scholars scheme. My coursework in environment and biology often mentioned the ocean, but it never went sufficiently into depth or breadth.
This year has marked an exciting time for the Marine Governance Group at HIFMB, one of the core groups of the institute, feeding one of the key pillars of research: conservation and management. New staff at PhD and Postdoctoral level have arrived and Masters students have begun to undertake original research projects. Together they (we!) have been quickly shaping the group, raising critical questions about governing ocean spaces.
The humpback whale is probably the most iconic species among the baleen whales. Anyone who listens to Kate Bush knows their long and complex songs. These songs are produced by humpback whale males as a reproductive display, most likely transferring information about individual fitness both to surrounding females and males. Humpback whales accumulate during the winter ...
Tropical coral reefs are changing. Some researchers suggest that modern tropical reefs could take the shape of habitat mosaics. Each patch of the mosaic are small patch-habitats of different regime types (e.g. coral-, sponge-, or algae-dominated) that coexist next to each other.
The Wadden Sea creates the largest unbroken tidal flat system in the world. This allows marine organisms of all shapes and sizes to flourish and draws in other migratory species like birds and seals from great distances. However, climate change and other anthropogenic forces have disrupted the balance of the Wadden Sea.
