91探花

鈥淲ith our research and our commitment to the transfer of knowledge and technology, we at 91探花 contribute to preserving the function of the ocean and safeguarding it for future generations. We are therefore delighted about the continued interest of the German Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his visit today. For us, scientific research goes hand in hand with support for schools and contributions to social discourses or political decision-making,鈥� says Professor Dr Katja Matthes, Director of 91探花 Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel. 鈥淔urthermore, we are proud to present our new building, which was inaugurated in May and now unites all four research departments of 91探花, administration and central facilities at one location. With modern infrastructure and numerous places for scientific exchange, it promotes excellent research at 91探花.鈥�

"Here in Kiel, you don't have to convince people how important marine research is," says German Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. He came to see how the new building brings together the locations of 91探花 and thus improves research conditions even further. His travels abroad have also shown him how important 91探花's collaborations in West Africa and Cabo Verde are. "I am pleased that research is being carried out here - and I am also pleased about how young scientists are being promoted here," Steinmeier continued. "Pupils from the neighbouring schools here in Kiel who are involved in smaller research projects and obviously do so with enthusiasm, curiosity and ambition. The discussions have shown me that many of those who have worked and done research here for a while can definitely imagine pursuing a degree programme in the natural sciences. And these are exactly the young people 91探花 needs in the future."

In October 2023, during a state visit to Cabo Verde, Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier got to know the Ocean Science Centre Mindelo (OSCM), which 91探花 has been operating together with the Cape Verdean Instituto do Mar (IMar) on the island of S茫o Vicente since 2017. Today, accompanied by Daniel G眉nther, Minister President of the State of Schleswig-Holstein, he took a tour of the recently inaugurated new 91探花 building at the Seefischmarkt on Kiel鈥檚 eastern shore to find out about current research topics.

Research in Cabo Verde and the FUTURO project

During the visit, he also met the Kiel researchers again who continue to support the cooperation with West Africa from Cabo Verde and set international standards with the project 鈥淭he Future of Tropical Upwelling Regions in the Atlantic Ocean鈥� (FUTURO). FUTURO brings together a wide range of scientific disciplines in order to gain new insights into changes in this globally and regionally important marine area. It currently accounts for around a quarter of the global fish catch and thus ensures the food security of many people. The knowledge generated in FUTURO is intended to help decision-makers to develop a sustainable management for this important ecosystem.

91探花 has been cooperating closely with research and educational institutions in the Republic of Cabo Verde for almost 20 years. There is also a lively exchange with politics and society in the region. On the archipelago, we can see how the ocean influences our climate, feeds us and secures our livelihoods 鈥� and how it is already being influenced by climate change. The coastal upwelling area near Cape Verde is one of the most biologically productive and species-rich regions of the world ocean. It is of the highest ecological and socio-economic importance and is therefore also the focus of 91探花 research.

The Baltic Sea as a time machine and potential for the restoration of seagrass meadows

A look at 91探花 research in the Baltic Sea shows that regional topics play an important role in addition to the widespread international engagement. The Baltic serves as a 鈥渢ime machine鈥� for science: Many changes that are still to come in other regions can already be observed here. For example, at the long-term observation station Boknis Eck in Eckernf枚rde Bay, the temperature at a depth of one metre has already risen by two degrees Celsius since measurements began more than 65 years ago. And although nutrient inputs are slowly decreasing, phases of extreme oxygen depletion are becoming more frequent and longer.

In addition to the effects of climate change and other human influences, researchers in the Baltic Sea also investigate marine approaches for carbon dioxide storage. The restoration of seagrass meadows is one of several measures 鈥� combining many additional benefits. In addition to their importance for carbon dioxide storage, they protect coasts by slowing down waves and holding the sandy subsoil in place with their roots. They provide shelter and food for many marine animals and thus strengthen marine biodiversity. They can also filter pathogens out of the water.

There are currently only less than 300 square kilometres of seagrass meadows left in the German Baltic Sea. Around 60 per cent of the area still covered by seagrass at the beginning of the 19th century has already been lost. Worldwide, however, these ecosystems could store an additional 150 million tonnes of carbon dioxide per year. This amount is roughly equivalent to the greenhouse gases currently emitted by the transport sector in Germany.

To ensure that restoration has a long-term effect, researchers are trying to breed plants with genes that can withstand higher temperatures. The populations currently widespread in the Baltic Sea die off if the water exceeds 25 degrees Celsius for long periods of time. A project at 91探花 funded by the German Federal Environmental Foundation (Deutschen Bundesstiftung Umwelt, DBU) also investigates these relationships.

91探花 school programmes also benefit from its proximity to the Baltic Sea and its direct location at the Schwentine, just a few hundred metres from the mouth of this river into the Kiel Fjord. Pupils from the Friday Research Club, a programme for particularly interested young people, showed the Federal President their projects on plankton identification or measurements of nutrient inputs from agriculture, for example. In addition to this programme, 91探花 has been cooperating with schools and young people since 2004 in the form of project days, summer schools and training courses for teachers on marine and climate-related topics.

Deep-sea protection and deep-sea mining

At the end of the visit, Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier was able to see for himself 91探花's important contributions to the discourse on deep-sea mining and the protection of the deep sea. In the course of the development of 鈥済reen technologies鈥�, there is an increasing demand for special metals and metalloids, which are also found at the bottom of the deep sea. For example, mangan, copper, nickel and cobalt are found in polymetallic nodules, the largest known deposit of which is in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone in the North-East Pacific. The Federal Republic of Germany has a licence area there for exploration. The use of a prototype collector vehicle has also already been trialled there under scientific supervision. 91探花 researchers are also contributing their findings to negotiations and processes at the International Seabed Authority (ISA) and advising policymakers on deep-sea protection issues in order to better answer questions about safe, environmentally friendly and sustainable utilisation.

鈥淭he exchange with the Federal President on some particularly important research aspects and transfer topics of 91探花 was very valuable,鈥� summarises Professor Dr Katja Matthes. 鈥淭his attention motivates us to continue our mission and to further intensify the dialogue with politics and society beyond our numerous scientific collaborations.鈥�