The RD2 within the research strategy - from the ocean to the atmosphere

The RD2 Mission

The Research Division Marine Biogeochemistry studies interactions between sediment, oceanic, and atmospheric material reservoirs and the organisms including humans which impacts marine biogeochemical processes addressing the following overreaching research questions:

  • What are the impacts of climate change on marine biogeochemistry including feedbacks?
  • How do changes in marine communities alter biogeochemical processes?
  • What are the natural drivers of CO2 uptake and sequestration and what are options for enhancing marine CO2 removal?
  • How do human use and misuse of the ocean affect marine biogeochemistry and what are the options for remediation?

The scientific research of the four research units are embedded in the research program 'Changing Earth - Sustaining our Future', here mainly in topic 6, and the GEOMAR 2030 strategy with its Core Themes and Integrative Research Foci (IRFs).

The RD2 Core Areas: 4 Research Units

RD2 News

[Translate to English:] Infografik CO2-Speicherung in Sandsteinformationen in der deutschen Nordsee
03.04.2025

Storing CO₂ Beneath the German North Sea? GEOSTOR Research Consortium Publishes Interim Report

Scientists provide insights into the geological, technical, ecological, and legal dimensions of offshore CO₂ storage, contributing to the CCS debate in Germany

Employees on a ship with blue helmets reach for the steel frame of a crane bailer being lifted out of the water.private
25.03.2025

Ocean Eddies – the Food Trucks of the Sea

Study reveals for the first time the lipidome composition of mesoscale eddies and their precise role in nutrient transport and the carbon cycle

The research vessel ALKOR is moored in the harbour, in the background you can see a large ferry with the name ‘Bornholmslinjen’ written in large letters.
21.03.2025

Key to Managing Legacy Munitions in the Baltic Sea

Expedition AL628 investigates suspected sites in German and Danish waters