Through the direct exchange of gases at the sea surface, the marine carbon cycle plays a central role in the climate system. Greenhouse gases (especially carbon dioxide CO2) can be absorbed by the ocean from the atmosphere as well as released into it. The marine carbon cycle is one of the factors that determine the direction of this exchange.
The aim of the researchers at MARUM is to gain a better understanding of the various core processes of the marine carbon cycle. The marine carbon cycle describes the occurrence and reservoirs of carbon compounds in the oceans, as well as the associated biological and abiotic processes.This includes the primary incorporation of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) into photosynthesizing biomass (algae), as well as the transport and decomposition of organic material on and in the seafloor.
Typical questions are:
In order to successfully answer these and many other questions, MARUM has excellent and extensive equipment and facilities.
left: sinking organic particles; right: sketch of the marine carbon cycle
Hadal trenches, with their deepest locations situated in the so-called hadal zone, the deepest parts of the ocean in water depth >6km, are the ...
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A new brochure published by the research consortium CDRmare provides a compact background on marine CO2 capture and storage processes. Scientists explain ...
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Methane seeps from the subsurface not only along the shelf, but also in the fjords of Spitsbergen. The goal of a MARUM expedition, which is starting now, ...
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The MARUM expedition MSM 119 will depart from St. John's, Canada, on July 8. Destination is the southern Reykjanes Ridge in the middle of the Atlantic ...
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