Marine Sedimentology

Ocean margins – from the deep sea to the coast – are in the focus of our research activities. The spectrum covered reaches from sedimentation processes via cold-water coral ecosystems to the reconstruction of marine environmental conditions in the past (paleoceanography). To describe and - more important - to understand past climate and environmental changes, we follow a broad approach, not only using marine sediments as paleoarchives, but also to include the relevant sedimentation processes that finally form these archives. In a similar way, we investigate cold-water coral ecosystems, focusing on their present-day functioning and on their long-term development.

Working Area

Paleoceanography in upwelling regions (SE-Pacific, E Indian Ocean); in the Arctic and around cold-water coral ecosystems (Atlantic); structure and development of cold-water coral ecosystems (Atlantic), sedimentation processes (Atlantic)

Methods

Sampling of water column and sediments; facies analysis and sampling of cold-water coral reefs; use of manned submersibles and remotely operated vehicles (ROVs); hydrographic measurements; sedimentological, (micro-)paleontological and geochemical studies; dating; numerical modeling