Microplastics in Sediments as an Indicator of Human Activity
In a review article recently published in the journal Earth-Science Reviews, researchers from the IOW, in collaboration with colleagues from the University of Leicester (United Kingdom), report on how human activity has altered Earth’s sediments over the decades. The researchers propose using small plastic particles in sediment as markers for the so-called Anthropocene (a proposed new geologic epoch shaped by humans).
Planetary Health Check 2026: Why a healthy seafloor matters for the Earth system
The seafloor is habitat, carbon sink and a hub for global matter cycles, yet human influence nowadays reaches from the coast all the way to the deep sea. Fishing, mining, shipping and infrastructure threaten ecosystems, stir up sediments and mobilise stored carbon. With a new chapter on seafloor integrity – compiled by researchers from the IOW, Kiel University (CAU) and the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) – the Planetary Health Check 2026 for the first time focuses comprehensively on the threats to the seafloor and its significance for the Earth system.
Microbial communities are highly sensitive to environmental changes, yet their enormous diversity makes it difficult to identify ecological patterns. A research team from the IOW has now shown that an AI method originally developed for text analysis can be successfully applied to the analysis of complex environmental samples. The method identified five seasonally successive microbial sub-communities in the Warnow estuary while preserving ecological and functional information just as well as conventional methods – in some cases they even performed better.
A coral’s Swiss Army knife: The numerous powers of cilia
An international research team led by scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology in Bremen and the IOW investigated how the shape of black corals influences the functions of their cilia. By combining an unusually comprehensive suite of imaging and microsensor techniques, the researchers were able to visualize both, water flow and oxygen transport, from individual cilia to entire coral fragments. They found that the cilia allow corals to create and direct the flow of water around and within them, thus optimising oxygen supply, feeding and internal transport. The study was recently published in Communications Biology.
The presence of the marine bacterium Vibrio vulnificus, which is potentially dangerous to humans, can now be predicted up to five weeks in advance in the Baltic Sea using artificial intelligence (AI). A research team led by the IOW reached this conclusion by combining high-resolution environmental, satellite, and microbiome data in an AI-based analysis. The study, recently published in “Water Research,” shows that this approach allows for a much more precise identification of risk periods than was previously possible.
Inland seas around the world are severely affected by climate change
Under the lead of the Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research Warnemünde (IOW), climate simulations were used to investigate how 19 inland seas, including the Baltic Sea, are responding to climate change. The researchers found that they have been warming faster than the global ocean since the 2000s. Projections show that marine heatwaves will affect around 60% of these seas on an annual average basis as early as in the middle of the 21st century. Without adherence to the Paris Agreement targets, up to 90% of these seas would be affected by heatwaves. The study contributes to climate change management practices and was published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment.
Amazon river plume: Where microalgae go carnivorous to win
In the vast plume of the Amazon River, microscopic algae adopt a surprisingly flexible survival strategy: They combine photosynthesis with the uptake of organic matter. An international research team led by the IOW has now shown that this so-called mixotrophy becomes the dominant and most successful lifestyle in mature plume waters. The findings, which are now published in Nature’s journal “Communications Biology”, reveal a previously underappreciated mechanism shaping marine food webs and carbon cycling in one of the ocean’s largest river-influenced systems.
International scientists gather in Germany for Baltic Earth Conference
Every two years, the international research network Baltic Earth organizes a conference in a Baltic Sea coastal state, bringing together scientists working on a wide range of topics related to the Baltic Sea region. This year, the conference is held in Heringsdorf on the island of Usedom, Germany, from April 13 – 17, 2026, and co-organized by the IOW and Institute of Oceanology, Polish Academy of Sciences (IOPAN). The conference has been endorsed as a UN Ocean Decade Activity, highlighting its role in advancing ocean science and supporting sustainable solutions for the marine environment.
The Baltic Sea has been under pressure for decades: Although phosphorus and nitrogen river loads, the main cause for its eutrophication, have been significantly reduced, adverse effects such as algal blooms and oxygen depletion still massively occur, leading to further ecological problems. Scientists at the IOW have now published a comprehensive review showing how nutrient pollution, internal matter cycles and global warming interact, thereby delaying the impact of protective measures. They also identify potential approaches for effective Baltic Sea management. The study was recently published in the Annual Review of Marine Science.
Underestimated wake: Shipping traffic causes more turmoil in the Baltic Sea than expected
Commercial shipping not only affects the Baltic Sea on the surface, but also has a significant impact on the water column and the seabed. A study by the IOW and Kiel University (CAU) now shows for the first time that wake turbulence from large ships in heavily trafficked areas of the western Baltic Sea significantly alters water stratification and leads to marked sea floor erosion.