Center for Marine Environmental Sciences

Home
Our Research
Marine Carbon Cycle

Marine Carbon Cycle

deciphering & bilancing

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:

Where do organisms get the energy to maintain their metabolism?
Which symbioses and exchange processes play a role?
Under which extreme pressure and temperature conditions is life still possible?

In order to successfully answer these and many other questions, MARUM has excellent and extensive equipment and facilities.

Participating Research Groups

Aggregate of marine snow. Photo: MARUM – Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen; M. H. Iversen) — left: sinking organic particles; right: sketch of the marine carbon cycle

Selection of current research projects

C-Quest

Dicover molecular pathway for glyco-carbon sequestration

(ERC Consolidator Grant)

sea4society

Innovative approaches to improve the carbon storage potential of coastal vegetation ecosystems

(DAM Research Mission)

Archean Park

Relics of ancient cellular biogeochemistry in an underground ecosystem with high CO₂ content

(ERC Synergy Grant)

Current news

Showing 61-64 of 89 items.

The single-celled organism Nitrosopumilus maritimus can produce oxygen. Researchers at the University of Oldenburg and Syddansk Universitet have demonstrated this - for the first time in an organism from the domain of archaea. Photo: University of Oldenbu

Jan 14, 2022

Microbes produce oxygen in the dark

Only a few microorganisms are able to produce oxygen in complete darkness. A new member of this exclusive circle is the extremely small unicellular ...

It doesn't look like much, but it's full of surprises: Bottles like these harbor the cultures of Methanoliparia. Photo: Lei Cheng

Dec 22, 2021

From the oilfield to the lab: How a special microbe turns oil into gases

Microorganisms can convert oil into natural gas, i.e. methane. Until recently, it was thought that this conversion was only possible through the ...

The distribution of oxygen in the water column is primarily determined by the vertical circulation. Photo: MARUM - Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen; T. Klein

Dec 8, 2021

Weaker ocean circulation led to more carbon storage in the deep sea

The movement of water masses in the ocean, its circulation, is an essential component of the global climate system. In a study recently published in the ...

Samples from the Guaymas Basin. Photo: Min Song

Nov 8, 2021

Explanation for unusual isotope patterns

Hydrocarbons, which are an essential component of crude oil and natural gas, form under pressure and high temperatures in the deep ocean floor. In the ...