Photo: The HyperDiver in use | Stefanie Bröhl, ZMT

JANUARY 2023

A study by Daniel Schürholz and Dr. Arjun Chennu explores the possibilities of a new method for the detailed description of complex habitats such as coral reefs. Daniel Schürholz's PhD project is funded by an EU Marie Curie Fellowship. Here is an interview with him.

Photo: Martin Zimmer reports to around 200 conference participants | Jana Wölfel, IOW
JANUARY 2023

JANUARY 2023

At the 2nd annual conference of the German Marine Research Alliance's CDRmare research mission, around 200 experts spent three days discussing ocean-based methods of removing CO₂ from the atmosphere. On behalf of the sea4soCiety project Martin Zimmer, Theresa Fett, Mondane Fouqueray, Véronique Helfer, Alexandra Nozik and Mirco Wölfelschneider took part in the conference. Nils Moosdorf was present as part of the CDRmare project RETAKE. Read more.

Photo: Mangroves at the coast of Barú | Carolina Hortúa Romero

FEBRUARY 2023

The British Guardian, the German weekly newspaper DIE ZEIT and the journalistic non-profit organisation Source Material report that 90% of the CO₂ certificates issued by the world's leading certification agency Verra were apparently worthless. Verra denies the allegations in the reports in an online statement. "Blue Carbon" experts from ZMT welcome the investigation and the associated reports on possible shortcomings in the compensation system, but at the same time point to the large number of scientifically supported projects that are meaningful and important for climate protection and should continue to be promoted. Read more.

Photo: Raimund Bleischwitz | Jan Meier, ZMT 

FEBRUARY 2023

ZMT Director Raimund Bleischwitz is appointed Professor for Global Sustainable Resources at the University of Bremen. At the University of Bremen, he will focus on the topics of the climate-ocean nexus and the design of a blue economy. His lectures will focus on international climate and resource policy. Read more.

Photo: Flamingos in the mangroves of Chulliyache | Tim Jennerjahn

FEBRUAR 2023

Hanlie Malherbe from the Office for Knowledge Exchange reports on an expedition to the Sechura and Paita Provinces in the Piura Region of Peru. Read more about it in her blog post.

Photo: Fisheries in North Sulawesi, Indonesia | Hauke Reuter, ZMT

MARCH 2023

In March, the United Nations agree on the first international treaty to protect the high seas. For more than 10 years, UN member states had been negotiating such an agreement to protect biodiversity on the high seas (Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction - BBNJ). ZMT sustainability researcher Raimund Bleischwitz sees the treaty as an "extremely important and long overdue step towards protecting biodiversity in the oceans". Here is his assessment.

Photo: Holger Kühnhold in the ZMT's seawater experimental facility | Jan Meier, ZMT

MARCH 2023

The world population is growing. Eight billion people need to be fed, preferably sustainably. Our current food production is polluting the environment and nature. Can we find the solution in the sea? With the Food4Future project, ZMT is featured in two TV documentaries. Here are the links to watch again.

Photo: In 2021, hurricanes destroyed around 50% of the mangroves in Mexico's Río Largartos Nature Park, according to locals. | A. Daschner, ZMT

MARCH 2023

On 20 March 2023, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) presents its final report in Interlaken, Switzerland. The report serves as a basis for countries around the world to swiftly agree and implement further climate protection measures. This is what ZMT researchers have to say about the report.

Photo: The winners of the CAMPUS PRIZE, Esther Thomsen and Alex Peer Intemann | Matej Meza, University of Bremen

APRIL 2023

The "CAMPUS PRIZE: Research for a Sustainable Future" 2023 goes to biologist Dr. Esther Thomsen from the ZMT and Master graduate Alex Peer Intemann. The award, endowed with 3000 euros, was presented on 27 April at the University of Bremen. All about the award ceremony.

Photo: Exterior view of the new ZMT building | Copyright: Expressiv GmbH

APRIL 2023

The new building for ZMT is taking shape. In a Europe-wide architectural competition at the turn of the year, three designs for the new ZMT building were selected by a jury of experts and awarded prizes. Now the decision is made: SWAP Architektur from Vienna will design the new building. More about the new ZMT building.

Photo: Artisanal fishing in Fiji | Tom Vierus

APRIL 2023

The South Pacific region presents a unique context in which local communities and their political representatives are increasingly engaged in integrated management of marine resources and spaces. The project A Sea of Connections: Contextualising Fisheries in the South Pacific Region (SOCPacific) sheds light on the region's fishing practices, and is now complete. Dr Annette Breckwoldt gives an overview of the goals and achievements.

Photo: Hundreds of fusiliers (Caesio) form a school off Raja Ampat, Indonesia | Sonia Bejarano, ZMT

APRIL 2023

A new study in Nature Communications sheds light on how the carbonate excretion of fish is controlled. The results make an important contribution to a better understanding of the biogeochemical and physical processes in the ocean in times of climate change. Click here for the results of the study by Mattia Ghilardi, marine biologist in Sonia Bejarano's "Reef Systems" working group at the ZMT.

Photo: Bremen's mayor Dr Andreas Bovenschulte in conversation with ZMT employees | Jan Meier, ZMT

MAY 2023

The state of Bremen as a location for internationally renowned research – Bremen's Mayor Dr. Andreas Bovenschulte visits ZMT on May 4 and finds out more about the institute's research on tropical coastal ecosystems.  All about the visit.

Photo: Prof Dr. Raimund Bleischwitz (ZMT), Georg Unterhohenwarter (SWAP) and Dr. Nicolas Dittert sign the contract for the new ZMT building | Matej Meza, ZMT

MAY 2023

The next step in ZMT's new building project: on 16 May 2023, the managing directors, Prof. Dr. Raimund Bleischwitz and Dr. Nicolas Dittert, sign the contract with SWAP Architektur. The architects also present their plans to ZMT employees in a town hall meeting. More information here.

Photo: Drawing workshop on Gili Trawangan | Connie Kwong, ZMT

May 2023

Dr. Connie Kwong travelled to Indonesia as part of the TransTourism project, where she conducted workshops with schools. Read more in her blog.

Photo: Salt marsh on Assateague Island in the United States | Sara Cottle via Unsplash

JUNE 2023

The coastal ecosystems in eight out of ten regions of the world are a net greenhouse gas sink. This means that in these regions, the absorption of carbon dioxide (CO₂) is greater than the emissions of methane and nitrous oxide (laughing gas). This is the conclusion of a study led by the Australian Southern Cross University with the participation of the Helmholtz Centre Hereon, the Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT) and the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel. The study was published in Nature Climate Change. Read more here.

Photo: Hands-on experiment at the ZMT stand: Prof. Dr. Jutta Günther, Rector of the University of Bremen | Lisa Zimmermann, ZMT

JUNE 2023

On 24 June 2023, the University of Bremen's OPEN CAMPUS attracted around 20,000 guests. Together with the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, the ZMT organised a pagoda on the topic of "Using and protecting the oceans". Lara Stuthmann, PhD student in the Experimental Aquaculture working group at the ZMT, presented her research on algae as a sustainable food resource, offered hands-on experiments and provided information about her school laboratory project "Sea Food", which is being run in cooperation with the University of Bremen. More impressions.

Photo: Professor Andrés Osorio, Director of the Corporation Centre of Excellence in Marine Sciences (CEMarin) in Colombia (2nd row, 2nd from right), with ZMT researchers and students and dog Lilly. | A. Daschner

JUNE 2023

During a stay in Germany, Prof. Andrés Osorio, Director of the Corporation Centre of Excellence in Marine Sciences (CEMarin) in Colombia, visited the ZMT to strengthen the existing links between the two institutions and develop new research alliances. Further information.

Photo: Wind turbines also contain rare earths | Jonas Ginter, ZMT

 JULY 2023

The battle for rare earth resources is already in full swing on the global market. In a commentary for the renowned journal Nature, three researchers from Germany, China and the USA show new ways in which a global circular economy for rare earths could be established despite geopolitical crises. Prof. Dr. Raimund Bleischwitz, an expert in the circular economy at ZMT in Bremen, is one of the authors. He says: "In order to meet the increasing demand without harming the environment, the entire rare earth industry needs to be rethought." Read more here.

Photo: STRI scholarship holder Diana Lopez from Colombia explores the coral reefs in Coiba National Park in Panama | Ana Endara, STRI

JULY 2023

To find tangible solutions for protecting the oceans, we should listen to the people who are most affected by the current problems of the oceans: the people in the tropics. These are the words of 25 authors of a commentary in the journal Ocean Sustainability, which was initiated by the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) in Panama. Estradivari from the ZMT was also involved in the publication.

Photo: Sea bream of different species often swim together over seagrass meadows or rocks covered with algae on the Algarve coast | Carolin Müller, ZMT

JULY 2023

In a new study, marine biologist Dr. Carolin Müller from ZMT demonstrates the uptake of microplastic particles by young sea bream. At the same time, she is investigating which environmental factors determine whether the young stages of the fish ingest the plastic. More about the publication.

Photo: ZMT at the company run in Bremen

JULY 2023

ZMT takes part in the "16th BMW company run for the late shift" and starts with 26 runners and dog Jackson. The run is for a good cause: 5 euros of the entry fee go towards a well maintenance project in Uganda and the construction of a maternity ward in The Gambia. More pictures of the run.

Photo: Aerial view of a mangrove forest in Utría National Park on Colombia's Pacific coast | Gustavo Castellanos-Galindo, ZMT

AUGUST 2023

Using drone images and artificial intelligence (AI), ZMT researchers have developed a method that can be used to describe every tree in a forest and estimate its height and diameter. This method makes it easier to create biological inventories of forests such as mangroves, and determine their stored carbon stocks. The study by Daniel Schürholz and Dr. Arjun Chennu was recently published in the scientific journal "Remote Sensing". Read more.

AUGUST 2023

ZMT joins the "Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment". In consultation with the Leibniz Association, Raimund Bleischwitz and a team at ZMT have successfully put together a consortium of sixteen partner institutions from ten countries to focus on the assessment of transformative scientific work. This emphasises the ZMT's approach of working in partnerships on an equal footing to conduct not only research but also further education and capacity development, as well as working towards long-term sustainable solutions. All about the initiative.

Photo: ZMT researchers with international colleagues at the MMM6 in Colombia.

AUGUST 2023

ZMT scientists were in full force at the world's largest conference for research and practice professionals working on the science, conservation and restoration of mangrove ecosystems. The sixth conference "Mangrove Macrobenthos and Management" (MMM6) took place in Colombia. Here our researchers describe their impressions

Photo: (back row, from left) Dr. Sebastian Ferse, Dr. Véronique Helfer, Katharina Hermann, Dr. Sonia Bejarano, Katharina Sperling, Prof. Dr. Raimund Bleischwitz, Max Benatar, Dr. Annette Breckwoldt, Lara Stuthmann, (front row from left) Prof Dr. Oscar Puebla, Dr. Holger Kühnhold

SEPTEMBER 2023

A delegation from Zoo Berlin and the Zoo Foundation visits ZMT to discuss joint topics in marine research, learn about the work on marine conservation and sustainable marine use and identify topics that could strengthen both knowledge exchange and transfer to the public. The two institutions are now working in partnership to make a joint contribution to marine and species conservation.

Photo: Prof. Dr. Johan Rockström, Director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) | Jan Meier, ZMT

SEPTEMBER 2023

At the invitation of ZMT, the internationally renowned sustainability researcher Prof. Dr. Johan Rockström, Director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), gave a lecture on "Planetary Change" at Universum Bremen on 28 September. Raimund Bleischwitz, Scientific Director of ZMT: "Johan Rockström is known worldwide for his groundbreaking work on planetary boundaries and he is a great speaker. Getting him to give a lecture is something very special." More about the event.

Photo: Martin Zimmer meets heads of state and high-ranking delegates from Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, St Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago, and Guyana.

SEPTEMBER 2023

At the end of September, high-ranking delegates, including heads of state of the small island developing states (SIDS) in the Caribbean, met in Grenada for a two-day conference on climate change. Prof. Dr. Martin Zimmer from ZMT attended the meeting at the invitation of the UNFCC Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC). Read more.

Photo: Maestro's boat - The Amazing Grace - at sunset in Tobago | Floriane Coulmance

SEPTEMBER 2023

As part of her doctorate, Floriane Coulmance devoted herself intensively to field research on coral reef fish. In her blog , she reports on her four excursions in the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico.

Photo: Cole Keister | Unsplash

OCTOBER 2023

The terrorist attack on Israel by the radical Islamic group Hamas on 7 October marks the beginning of a new war in the Middle East. Germany's Alliance of Science Organisations expresses its sincere condolences to all victims of the terrorist attacks on Israel. ZMT supports the statement. The institute has been cooperating with the Interuniversity Institute of Marine Science (IUI) in Eilat on research activities in the Gulf of Aqaba for many years.

Photo: Camilo Arrieta (Mangrove Ecology WG), Jörn Hendrichs (Bremen Senate Chancellery), Lucy Atieno (Deliberation, Assessment and Sustainability WG), Connie Kwong (Deliberation, Assessment and Sustainability WG), Lol Dahlet (Social-Ecological Systems Analysis WG), Hamira Kobusingye, Mondane Fouqueray (Mangrove Ecology WG), Raimund Bleischwitz (ZMT Management), Amina N. Abiiru, Nancy Oduor (Sumarin Groundwater Discharge WG), Bhakti Shah (Geoecology and Carbonate Sedimentology WG), Jewel Das (Social-Ecological Systems Analysis WG) | Matej Meza

OCTOBER 2023

Hamira Kobusingye, climate activist from Uganda, was awarded the 18th Bremen Solidarity Prize on 9 October 2023. Mayor Dr. Andreas Bovenschulte presented her with the award at a festive reception in  Bremen's Upper Town Hall. The next day, the Ugandan activist visited ZMT and exchanged ideas with doctoral students at ZMT. She took up an invitation from ZMT Director Raimund Bleischwitz, who gave the laudatory speech for Hamira Kobusingye during the award ceremony at Bremen City Hall. All about the award ceremony and Hamira Kobusingye's visit to the ZMT the following day.

Photo: Millions of people in the tropics are involved in coral reef fishing, especially in Indonesia. Here, fishing boats on an island in the Spermonde Archipelago, South Sulawesi | Sebastian Ferse, ZMT

OCTOBER 2023

An international team of researchers has used an extensive dataset of more than 2,000 coral reef sites to determine how fish populations and diversity of fish species are faring on the world's ocean reefs. One finding of the study, recently published in Nature Communications, is that nearly two-thirds of the sites studied are overfished below reference points aimed at maximizing catch. ZMT reef ecologist Dr. Sebastian Ferse also ontributed to the paper. Read more.

NOVEMBER 2023

ZMT on a pub crawl. PhD student Peter Steiglechner is taking part in the fall series of Science Goes Public with a talk on "Exploring opinion patterns with math".

Photo: Prof. Dr. Raimund Bleischwitz at the symposium of the Maritime Cluster Northern Germany (MCN) | Wolfgang Heumer, MCN

NOVEMBER 2023

Opportunities and obstacles for a maritime circular economy are highlighted at a symposium organised by the Maritime Cluster Northern Germany. Prof. Dr Raimund Bleischwitz, expert for circular economy, presents a ZMT study on the potential for ship recycling in the state of Bremen for the first time at the event. The analysis was prepared under his leadership together with Dr. Michael Kriegl (WG Institutions and Behavioral Economics) and Jannik Höller (WG Complexity and Climate). More about the symposium.

Photo: Sonia Bejarano, ZMT

NOVEMBER 2023

ZMT signs the COP28 Dubai Ocean Declaration, which calls on world leaders to recognize the importance of the ocean for the climate and to support efforts to expand and improve global ocean observation. Further information.

DECEMBER 2023

Scientists from the ZMT also made a significant contribution to the preparation of the eighth World Ocean Review (WOR) with their expertise. The WOR entitled "Climate savior ocean? How the ocean should absorb (even) more carbon dioxide" explains the role of the ocean in the Earth's carbon cycle and presents the benefits, risks and knowledge gaps of the most important ocean-based carbon dioxide removal (mCDR) processes. You can order the issue here. You can order the issue here...

Photo: Sea urchin, Costa Rica | Ines Stuhldreier

DECEMBER 2023

During COP28, the Global Tipping Points Report is published – the most comprehensive assessment of tipping points ever conducted, compiled by more than 200 researchers and coordinated by the University of Exeter in collaboration with the Bezos Earth Fund. On the ZMT side, postdoctoral researcher Dr. Giovanni Romagnoni contributed to the report with his expertise on potential tipping points in coastal upwelling systems and pelagic ecosystems. Romagnoni focused in particular on kelp sea urchin systems.

Photo: Martin Zimmer (ZMT), Dr. Fransisco Arias Isaza (INVEMAR, Colombia) Prof. Dr. William Cheung (University of British Columbia), Dr. Immaculate Sware Semesi (Tanzania Marine Parks and Reserves), Dr. Kerry Nickols (Ocean Visions)

DECEMBER 2023

At COP28 in Dubai Martin Zimmer from ZMT takes part in a round table on the topic of blue carbon as a climate protection instrument. Under the title "The Future of Blue Carbon in Climate Mitigation: Raising Awareness and Unlocking Potential", this event at the Canada Pavilion on December 9, brings together leading oceanographic institutions and government representatives from Colombia, Tanzania, Fiji, the USA and Canada. More about the Round Table here.

Photo: Marie Fujitani | Jan Meier, ZMT

DECEMBER 2023

Prof. Dr. Marie Fujitani, head of the Deliberation, Evaluation and Sustainability working group at ZMT, has been selected for a Lebniz Professorship in the Leibniz Association's new funding round. She is one of eight internationally highly qualified female scientists from various member institutions of the Leibniz Association who will receive a five-year funding as part of the Leibniz Professorship Programme of the Leibniz Competition. More about Marie Fujitani's success. More on Marie Fujitanis success...