From tooth fish to food webs, from molecular genetic tools to underwater acoustics: dive into our current research
Topics
Global Biodiversity Targets Catch Up with Science
The recently adopted Montreal-Kunming Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) marks a significant step forward in aligning global policy with scientific understanding of marine biodiversity. This is the result of a newly published study, that reviewed the marine biodiversity literature of the United Nations Decade on Biodiversity to assess whether the GBF’s targets reflect the complexity of marine life and improve upon the previous Aichi Targets.
Did you know?
Unicellular plankton covers a size range that is comparable to the size difference between a small fish and a city like Oldenburg.
Inside COP 16 (United Nations Biodiversity Conference)
Government representatives, international organizations, scientists, NGOs and many more are meeting in Cali, Colombia, until 1 November to develop strategies to protect biodiversity and negotiate concrete measures. Dr Ute Jacob from the HIFMB Transfer Office has an official observer status and is on site in Cali.
A Résumé on the Oldenburg Climate Symposium
The 2nd Oldenburg Climate Symposium was headlined “Climate, People, Ocean” and was meant to be a multidimensional workshop with offerings to scientists, early career professionals, students, policymakers, and the general public. A safe bet for a successful conference is to give excellent researchers the time to develop their ideas in front of the public. We invited eight speakers from near and far to give their personal perspective on the ocean climate connection.
From the Very Small to the Big Picture: A New Era in Microbiology
Microbes were the only life form on Earth for most of the history of our planet. Even today, they still make up the majority of species that are vital to the health of our planet. They produce much of our oxygen, help plants grow, maintain biogeochemical cycles and thus sustain our ecosystems.
Exploring Belonging: A Day on the Island of Spiekeroog
Our one-day retreat on the island Spiekeroog aimed to further strengthen the connections within our Marine Governance group and to explore the notion of “Belonging.” Already the passage to the island with the small speedboat, which rocked with every sigle wave, raised the question, “Do we actually belong here?”—on the water amidst all the ship traffic, right in the middle of the Wadden Sea National Park, surrounded by countless marine organisms that all depend on this rare and threatened habitat?
Mud and the Matter of Seabed Access – Reflections on Sampling in Shallow Seas
For many of us, unless it is part of our everyday work, the seabed is probably a space we think little about. But the seabed, as the recent decision by Norway to undertake mining within its national waters revealed, is a space where accessibility and usage rights are contentious and political. This becomes even more profound when we start to ask about the seabed beyond national jurisdiction where there is a lack of clear ‘ownership’. To whom does the seabed belong?
Reviving PALAOA or the Acoustic Homecoming
Slowly the impressive lance sinks into the ice. It reminds of a Jules Verne-like scientific instrument in the way its copper plates are bolted so craftfully. It is attached to an enormous installation with howling diesel-powered engines that breathes a slow primitive power. Maybe exactly the type of primitive power and patience that is needed to melt through 100m thick shelf ice. We are in the Antarctic standing on the Eckstroem Iceshelf and we are melting holes to finally revive our passive acoustic observatory after a 2-year data gap due to an ice shelf break off in February 2022.