BIOACID Science Portrait Lennart Bach

Dr. Lennart Bach, marine biologist at GEOMAR Kiel investigates a tiny organism that can hardly be seen with the naked eye – and is still visible from space. The single-celled calcifying alga that his research focuses on is called Emiliania huxleyi. It is a true multi-talent: Its calcium carbonate platelets carry organic material from the surface to the deep ocean, which regulates carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere. A gas that it releases – and that we perceive as the typical sea smell – is thought to serve as cooling agent in the climate system.

The German research network BIOACID examines the effects of acidification on the life and biogeochemical cycles in the ocean – and on all those who depend on it. In this series of short videos, BIOACID members report about their research. The BIOACID science portraits complement a photo exhibition on ocean acidification that is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) as part of the Science Year 2016*17 – Seas and Oceans.