Research projects
Distribution of benthic communities in the North Sea
The EU’s Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) obligates member states to monitor the status and development of biotic communities on the ocean floor. In a research project funded by the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN), we are developing and implementing a programme for continually monitoring the benthic communities in various biotopes in Germany’s Exclusive Economic Zone in the North Sea.
Contact partner: Dr Jan Beermann
Long-term monitoring of macroalgae and seagrass in the Wadden Sea
Seagrass meadows are highly productive coastal habitats and of considerable ecological importance, as they fulfil a range of essential ecological functions. They are also highly sensitive to various harmful environmental influences, especially eutrophication. Consequently, these meadows are widely considered to be an indicator of a given area’s ecological status and are used accordingly for the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD).
In the part of the Wadden Sea located in the federal state of Schleswig-Holstein, their status is monitored using a combination of methods. In the air, the seagrass stocks on the tidal flats are comprehensively mapped on a macro-scale using aeroplanes. On the ground, precise, detailed and high-resolution data is gathered in selected sub-regions, verifying and supplementing the outcomes of the aerial mapping. In addition, historical aerial photography is analysed, making it possible to reconstruct the long-term development of seagrass stocks.
While the seagrass meadows in the north of the Schleswig-Holstein area of the Wadden Sea have grown considerably since 1994, unfortunately no such recovery can be observed in the south of the area. We surmise that the seagrass meadows in the north have profited from reduced nutrient input from rivers in recent years, whereas their counterparts to the south are too close to the large deltas of the Elbe, Weser and Ems to enjoy the same benefit.
Contact partner: Dr Tobias Dolch
Sublittoral mytilid mussel stocks in List Deep
Mytilid mussel beds have a pivotal role in coastal regions, as they offer a habitat and source of nutrition for a host of other organisms. Whereas extensive research has been conducted on various ecological aspects of mussel beds in parts of the tidal flats that are periodically above the water line, we still know very little about mytilid mussel stocks in areas that are permanently submerged (the sublittoral zone).
A new mussel-farming programme in Schleswig-Holstein offers a unique opportunity to investigate sublittoral mussel stocks in the Wadden Sea. In this regard, the waters of List Deep, located north of the island of Sylt, are no longer used for mussel fishing and the areas previously dedicated to mussel culture have since been abandoned. The remaining stocks of farmed mussels and zander, together with a total lack of fishing pressures, constitute favourable conditions for exploring the dynamics of sublittoral mytilid mussel stocks and assessing the potential for establishing sustainable mussel aggregations.
Contact partner: Dr Andreas Waser
Restoring the European flat oyster
Native to the North Sea, the European oyster species Ostrea edulis was once widespread and formed its own habitats, characterised by high biodiversity. Due to overfishing, the species died out in the German Bight roughly a century ago. In the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN)-funded project RESTORE, we have been investigating and testing the restoration of the European flat oyster in the deep waters of the North Sea since 2016, where we are also investigating the development of biodiversity near a pilot oyster bank in the Borkum Reef Ground Marine Protected Area.
Contact partner: Dr Bernadette Pogoda
Climate change impacts on marine blue carbon ecosystems
The changing climate and the loss of biodiversity will be the greatest challenges that ecosystems in the North Sea and Baltic face in the next few decades. To evaluate the effects of climate change on our marine ecosystems and on natural carbon-storage potential, in the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN)-funded project DEFINE the North Sea Office is preparing a comprehensive literature review on the current state of knowledge concerning what are known as “blue carbon” ecosystems.
Contact partners: Corina Peter and Dr Bernadette Pogoda
Concepts for the effective protection of marine ecosystems
When it comes to combating the biodiversity crisis and the climate crisis, the effective protection and sustainable use of our ecosystems is a considerable challenge. The CREATE project, funded by the German Alliance for Marine Research (DAM) through its sustainMare research mission, is developing concepts for reducing anthropogenic stresses on marine ecosystems and biodiversity. The project brings together 32 experts from 15 institutes, whose goal is to generate solution-oriented knowledge to support political and societal decision-making processes regarding the preservation and sustainable use of our oceans.
Contact partner: Dr Bernadette Pogoda