The Ocean in Depth!

The ocean in depth!

MARUM Newsletter April 2018

Dear readers,

New knowledge in marine research is advanced on the one hand through cooperation among different disciplines. On the other hand, lean and efficient decision-making and administrative structures are necessary today to generate creative and productive new insights. A few years ago the “Research Faculty” MARUM was established as a new model at the University of Bremen precisely for the purpose of creating these necessary conditions for research. By means of a novel governance structure MARUM has obtained very far-reaching rights. It allows us, to a large extent, to manage our staff and our budget independently, and MARUM The cold-water-coral reefs off Mauritania serve as a habitat for fish, crustaceans, mussels and may also enter into contracts directly many other living creatures. Photo: Tomas Lundälv with partners outside the university. At the end of last year, university panels [ Research ] decided by a large majority to continue their course and make MARUM a Submarine cold-water coral mounds permanent organizational unit of the University of Bremen that is only The world’s so far largest known contiguous rates reached peak values of 16 meters accountable to the rectorate. With this cold-water coral structure, with a length of per 1,000 years. Their results suggest that landmark decision behind us, we will around 400 kilometers, is situated along the peak phases for the cold-water corals, continue to follow our chosen path to the coast of Mauretania. The coral mounds when the mounds grew significantly in strengthen interdisciplinary cooperati- here can reach heights of 100 meters. MAR- height, coincided with those times when on with our partners both within and UM scientist Dr. Claudia Wienberg was one oxygen-rich water masses flowed into the outside the University of Bremen. of an international team of researchers who area from the north. When the cold-water intensively sampled this area, making use corals were flooded by oxygen-poor water of the research vessel Maria S. Merian, in masses from the south, as is the case today, I wish you a very informative read, order to learn more about the development the mounds grew more slowly or not at all. of cold-water corals. In their study, she and Depending on the prevalent climate, the her colleagues trace how this development front between these water masses shifted has progressed over the past 120,000 years from north to south, and vice versa, and Michael Schulz (Director) off Mauretania. They identified phases in the corals were alternately enveloped by which the growth of the mounds stagna- oxygen-rich or oxygen-poor waters. ted, and other periods when the growth www.marum.de/en/Discover/Coral-mound.html

[ Training ] Arctic” (ArcTrain) for another four and a its international character,” says Prof. Dr. DFG extends ArcTrain half years. During the next phase until Michal Kučera, spokesperson for ArcTrain. 2022 the positions and research work of “Through research residencies at part- The German Research Foundation (DFG) 12 PhD students will be financed. Together ner universities, early career researchers will finance the MARUM-based Internati- with colleagues from Canada they will acquire insights into the expertise of our onal Research Training Group “Processes personally experience and investigate the Canadian partners, and strengthen their and impacts of climate change in the Arctic region on land and from the sea. “The academic networks.” North Atlantic Ocean and the Canadian special strength of the Training Group is www.marum.de/en/education-career/ArcTrain-2.html [ Expeditions ] Destination: Henry Seamount An extinct submarine volcano off the Canary Islands is the focus of an expedition by MARUM scientists. On board the research vessel Meteor the team, headed by Dr. Andreas Klügel from the Department of Geosciences at the University of Bremen, is studying the Henry Seamount, a 126 million-year-old volcano southeast of the Canary Island El Hierro, at a water depth of 3,600 meters. During an earlier Meteor cruise here, mussel shells and rock samples were collected that indicated the presence of cold seeps. The autonomous underwater vehicle MARUM-Seal, among other tools, will be deployed during the mapping. The autonomous underwater vehicle MARUM-Seal is made ready for deployment. Photo: A. Klügel www.marum.de/en/Research/M146.html

[ Research ] [ Research ] North-Atlantic monitoring and modeling New class of biocatalysts Enzymes are of crucial importance for the in earlier investigations. However, it was When the circulation in the North Atlantic breakdown of algal biomass in the ocean. previously not understood exactly how Ocean changes, it also affects the climate Scientists from Bremen and Greifswald the microbial degradation takes place. The in Europe. How exactly, that is the focus of have been able to prove this for the first team has now been able to demonstrate the joint research project Regional Atlantic time in comprehensive experiments. They the specific functions of certain bacterial Circulation and Global Change (RACE). have discovered a completely new sub-class enzymes for the first time. With the help of “In order to better understand the ocean of biocatalysts that are involved in the oxygen these enzymes catalyze an impor currents, we need continuous long-term breakdown of sugars by marine bacteria. tant chemical step in the conversion of the monitoring with high temporal resolution “These enzymes are very important for our carbohydrates. over decades, and realistic, high-resolution understanding of the carbon cycle in the ocean and climate models,” says Prof. Dr. ocean. They show us how marine bacteria Monika Rhein from MARUM, coordinator of deal with highly stable carbon sources in the joint research project. order to metabolize them,” explains Dr. Scientific expertise is pooled, which enables Jan-Hendrik Hehemann from MARUM. In close cooperation in the development and the world ocean, algae store approximately use of complex monitoring technologies. the same amount of carbon each year as all The Federal Ministry of Education and land vegetation combined. In doing so, the Research has been funding the project since algae produce large amounts of carbohy 2006 in order to gain reliable long-term drates, which are subsequently broken data. down by bacteria and represent an impor The focus of the Parliamentary Evening Bacteria living on red seaweed (picture) tant source of energy for the entire food at the Bremen State Representation in digest its cell walls with a newly discovered web in the sea. The marine bacteria that Berlin was the successes and future tasks class of enzymes. are active in this breakdown were identified of German marine research in the face of climate change. The meeting was organized by the German Climate Consortium (DKK), [ Training ] [ Research ] the German Marine Research Consortium Training for young academics Accurate chronologies (KDM) and RACE. Monika Rhein explained, the long-term At the fourth ECORD Training Course, held High-resolution age models are essential monitoring of these realms is an important at MARUM, 30 participants from 14 coun- for understanding the details of how clima- task for RACE. Networking in research is tries learned about the high standards of te changes affect ecosystems. Short-term indispensable in order “to recognize the the International Ocean Discovery Program warming events 56 million years ago, du- anthropogenic impact on Gulf Stream circu- (IODP). Step by step they were taught how ring the early Eocene, are accompanied by lation at an early stage against a backdrop to sample and analyze cores. The course an extraordinary increase in greenhouse ga- of immense natural fluctuations, and to prepares scientists not only for participa- ses. Dr. Thomas Westerhold and Dr. Ursula substantially improve climate forecasts for tion on IODP expeditions, but for all types Röhl of MARUM, together with colleagues Germany”. Prof. Dr. Anya Waite (AWI), Prof. of offshore drilling projects. In September, from the USA, have now produced a de- Dr. Mojib Latif (GEOMAR) and Dr. Karl-Eu- interested scientists can take part in the tailed synchronization between terrestrial gen Huthmacher (Federal Ministry of ECORD Summer School 2018. For two weeks drill cores from Wyoming and data from the Education and Research) also participated they will be actively learning about fluids deep sea. It revises earlier findings on exact in the discussions with Monika Rhein. and gas hydrates in the seafloor. Applica- temporal sequences, documents the pro- tions must be submitted no later than 4 cesses in unprecedented detail, and for the www.marum.de/en/Research/RACE.html May. first time documents simultaneous changes www.marum.de/ECORD-training.html in life on the land and in the deep sea.

Page 2 MARUM-Newsletter “The ocean in depth!” April 2018 [ MARUM visual ] Deep-sea prawns

Prawns on a sponge in the Greenland Sea, west of Spitsbergen at a depth of 2,430 meters.

Photo: ROV MARUM-Quest, Expedition PS93-2, RV Polarstern

[ Expeditions ] Sonne research cruise to island arcs in the South Pacific Hot water rises from the seafloor like dozens of volcanoes on the ocean floor. The hot seeps, and change the composition dark smoke. It is released by submarine Kermadec Arc was also the target of Expedi- of the oceans. We use special gas-tight volcanoes between 700 and 1,800 meters tion SO253 in 2017. water-samplers to recover and preserve un- below the surface. An international group During Expedition SO263 of the research diluted hydrothermal water directly at the of scientists wants to investigate exactly vessel Sonne the team visits the most seep site,” explains Alexander Diehl from what this water contains and how far the northerly part of the Tonga Arc and the MARUM. “With conventional samplers, the dissolved materials in it are distributed northeastern Lau Basin. The cruise is led by gases bubble out at the very latest when through the ocean. These include resear- Prof. Dr. Karsten Haase of the Friedrich Alex the container is opened, like a bottle of chers from the University of Bremen and ander University of Erlangen-Nuremberg. sparkling water. This makes quantification MARUM, who also want to know how pro- As was the case on Expedition SO253, the of the gas content absolutely impos cesses deep within the volcano influence focus of the Bremen expedition participants sible. The gases, however, represent a key the material flux at the seafloor. is on the deep processes at hydrothermal parameter for determining the chemical Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Bach’s working group seeps. These include, for example, magma reactions as well as the mobilization of presently has two study areas to the north degassing and water-rock interactions. metals such as copper, zinc and iron in the of New Zealand, which the scientists re “During my PhD work I was intrigued by the subsurface.” peatedly visit in order to collect data for chemical reactions between hydrothermal The deep-sea robot MARUM-Quest is their research and to fill in sample sets. solutions and the volcanic rocks beneath employed for sampling at the hydrother- These areas encompass the Kermadec the emission sites of the black smokers. mal vents, and it also brings samples of Arc to the south and the Tonga Arc to the These chemical reactions produce the rocks, ores or organisms such as mussels north, an underwater mountain range with metals and gases that are released at the on board.

[ Technologies ] new project is investigating an alternative field. The data obtained there provide a ba- New cooperative project method in which the pile is made to vibrate sis for comparison with the new follow-up – called vibration ramming. project Restrike XL. “For the first time we How can wind-farm piles be anchored “It is presently assumed that the necessary can compare the two methods and quantify environmentally friendly in North Sea se- load-bearing strength for the steel piles the so-called cumulative effect over a long diments in the best and most environmen- cannot be achieved with vibration ram- time period.” tally friendly way? And how does the load ming. Over the next three years we want to In addition to MARUM, research partners capacity of the foundations change after investigate how the load capacity behaves include the Fraunhofer Institute for Wind installation? A new cooperative research over time with piles rammed normally and Energy and Energy System Technology project in MARUM is dedicated to answe- with vibration-rammed piles,” explains (IWES) and Abertay University (Great ring these questions. The XL monopiles project leader Prof. Dr. Tobias Mörz. As early Britain). On the industry side, Innogy SE and are driven into the seabed and serve as as 2014, various installation methods were Geo-Engineering.org are supporting the foundations for offshore wind turbines. The tested in the Altenwalde monopile test project.

MARUM-Newsletter “The ocean in depth!” April 2018 Page 3 [ International Ocean Discovery Program ] [ Science Communication ] Cores from the Gulf of Corinth “Oceans in Transition” The special exhibition “Oceans in Transiti- The Corinth Rift in Central Greece is one of impacted by future earthquakes. “The new on”, which is being presented from the 5th the most seismically active areas in Europe. cores are revealing exactly what we hoped: of December 2017 through 25th of May 2018 It is here that one of the Earth’s tectonic The potential to accurately calculate the in the Klimahaus in Bremerhaven, provides plates is being ripped apart in the process activity of important faults that regularly a unique insight into how oceans are of rifting, causing geological hazards inclu- generate earthquakes with magnitudes 6 created and how humankind and the sea ding earthquakes, tsunamis and landslides. to 7 in the area,” says Co-chief scientist Prof. influence each other. Its major component An international team of scientists from Dr. Lisa McNeill. is the MARUM travelling exhibition “Expe- the International Ocean Discovery Program Researchers have been working in the riencing the Sea”, with many exhibits rela- (IODP) has analyzed new cores from the Co- Corinth Rift region for many decades, ting to ocean and marine-research themes. rinth Rift during the onshore science party examining sediments and active fault Among the subjects to be encountered at MARUM. The cores provide a continuous, traces exposed on land and using marine are primeval marine organisms, exciting high resolution record of complex changes geophysics to image the basin and its struc- current developments in deep-sea research, in past environment and rift faulting rates ture below the seafloor. “The missing piece and an underwater robot that the visitors over the last 1 million years. of the jigsaw puzzle has been the age of the can operate themselves. The data recently collected and to be de- basin sediments that record the history of veloped over the next months will be used rifting. We know now that the core samples [ Personnel ] to calculate how fast active earthquake-ge- will enable us to complete this piece of the New to our team nerating faults are slipping within the rift. puzzle. This in turn can be used to calculate This can be used to assess the earthquake fault earthquake potential, and, on a longer Katrin Stukenburg, hazard potential of the region, which has timescale, unravel the sequence of events who has been in charge a populated coastal zone around the Gulf as the rift has evolved.” of personnel matters and the city of Athens nearby that can be www.ecord.org/expedition381 since March 1, is new to MARUM‘s administrative department. Her responsibility is to function as the interface between MARUM and the central admi- nistration of the University of Bremen. The 37-year-old previously supervised the bionics program at the Hochschule Bre- men, City University of Applied Sciences.

[ Commendations ] Briese Research Prize Dr. Soeren Ahmerkamp has been awarded the Briese Research Prize for his PhD dissertation, Co-Chief scientists Prof. Dr. Lisa McNeill (left) Dr. Mai-Linh Doan measures the stiffness of carried out within the and Prof. Dr. Donna Shillington. the sediments. framework of a cooperative project between MARUM and the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbio- Events logy in Bremen. With this prize, the About us jury recognized his research on oxygen MARUM-booth (No 14) at the EGU General Editor transport within the sandy seafloor of the Assembly Prof. Dr. Michael Schulz North Sea and how it affects activity of 08.04. – 13.04.2018 Vienna, Austria MARUM – the bacteria living there. 11.04., 16 – 18 pm Alumni get-together Center for Marine Environmental Sciences [ Personnel ] www.egu2018.eu University of Bremen Called to Kiel Explore Science Leobener Straße 8 29.08.2018 ÖVB-Arena Bremen D-28359 Bremen Associate professor Dr. 30.08. – 01.09.2018 Bürgerpark Bremen Germany Christian Winter has accepted an offer by www.explore-science.de Compilation, Composition, and Photos the Christian Albrecht ECORD Summer School MARUM University of Kiel. Since 03. – 14.09.18 MARUM und IODP February he has been Core Repository Printer leading the working Maritime Week Universitätsdruckerei Bremen group for coastal geolo- 15. – 23.09.18 Bremen gy and sedimentology at the Institute for 22. und 23.09. Research Mile www.marum.de Geosciences. He will continue to coope Untere Schlachte rate closely with colleagues at MARUM.

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