Mud binds carbon

The collaborative project „Anthropogenic influences on the cycling of particulate organic carbon in the North Sea“ (APOC) was funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) as part of the MARE:N programme “Oceans under stress - Analysis of marine CO2 uptake capacity” and under the umbrella of the “Research for Sustainable Development” (FONA) research framework programme. The researchers led by the project coordinators Prof. Dr Sabine Kasten, sediment geochemist at the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) and Dr. Wenyan Zhang, ocean modeler from the Helmholtz Centre Hereon investigated the carbon storage capacity of fine-grained sediments (mud) in the North Sea and how this ecosystem service is impacted by global climate change and anthropogenic use and pressure. Other participants included the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, the University of Hamburg and the BUND marine conservation office.

As part of the closing event that was held on May 14^th and 15^th at the Museum für Naturkunde - Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Research in Berlin, there was an expert discussion organized by BUND focussing on the following questions: What are the latest research findings? How do we move from knowledge to action? What further research is needed? Do we need climate or carbon protection zones in the North Sea and Baltic Sea in the future? How can such climate/carbon protection zones be implemented? How can the transfer from science to politics and the dialogue between the different groups and stakeholders be improved? Participants in the expert discussion were (photo from left to right): Sabine Kasten (AWI), Sebastian Unger (Meeresbeauftragter der Bundesregierung, BMUV), Daniel Schneider (MdB, SPD, Sprecher des Parlamentskreises Meerespolitik), Ute Wilhelmsen (DAM), Nadja Ziebarth (Leiterin des Meeresschutzbüros des BUND), Silke Inselmann (Moderatorin, Widserve)