The ocean in depth! MARUM Newsletter April 2018 Dear readers, New knowledge in marine research is advanced on the one hand through co- operation 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 rese- arch. By means of a novel governance structure MARUM has obtained very far-reaching rights. It allows us, to a lar- ge 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 expedi- tion 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 demons trate the joint research project Regional Atlantic time in comprehensive experiments. They the specific func tions 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.