GEOMAR  Taucher, Jan

Dr. rer. nat. Jan Taucher

Wischhofstr. 1-3
Building 5, Room 2.307
24148 Kiel, Germany
Tel. +49-431-600-4262
E-Mail: jtaucher(at)geomar.de

Research Interests

Plankton imaging

  • Technology development: In situ camera systems (PIScO - Plankton Imaging with Scanning Optics, ProPel - Profiling Pelagic In Situ Observation System)
  • Application of imaging technology to study marine plankton, particle dynamics (marine snow), and the biological pump

Deep-sea plankton ecology

Impacts of ocean warming and acidification on marine ecosystems

  • Linkages between phytoplankton physiology, food web structure and biogeochemical cycles
  • Combination of ecosystem modelling (1-D to 3-D global models) and experimental investigations, e.g. batch cultures, mesocosms

Ocean-based carbon dioxide removal strategies (CDRs)

  • Alkalinity enhancement
  • Artificial upwelling

Ongoing projects

  • SEA-THROUGH - Novel in situ imaging technology to explore the “ladder of vertical migrations” to the deep-sea (ERC Consolidator Grant)
  • MINI-HAWK - Development of a miniaturized high-resolution underwater camera for monitoring of aquatic biodiversity (BMBF)
  • OceanICU - Understanding Ocean Carbon (EU Horizon 2020)
  • DIPLO - Paving the way from in situ plankton image data to a Digital Twin Ocean (Helmholtz Imaging)
  • SuperPI - Deep-learning empowered super-resolution plankton imaging (Helmholtz AI)

Education and Employment

Current positions

  • since 9/2024: Principal Investigator of the ERC Consolidator project “SEA-THROUGH: Novel in situ imaging technology to explore the “ladder of vertical migrations” to the deep sea”
  • since 1/2025: Principal Investigator of the BMBF project MINI-HAWK (Development of a miniaturized high-resolution underwater camera for monitoring of aquatic biodiversity)
  • since 1/2023: Principal Investigator of Work Package 3 “Impacts of Climate Stressors on the Biological Carbon Pump” im EU Horizon 2020 project “OceanICU” 
  • since 1/2022: Principal Investigator of  the projects “SuperPI: Deep-learning empowered super-resolution plankton imaging” (Helmholtz AI) und “DIPLO: Paving the way from in situ plankton image data to a Digital Twin Ocean” (Helmholtz Imaging)
  • since 1/2018: Leader of the "Plankton Imaging & Technology" Research Group

Previous positions

  • 2020-2022: Researcher in the EU project OceanNETs (Ocean-based negative emissions technologies), sub-project WP5 (Ecosystem and biogeochemistry impacts of Ocean Alkalinization)
  • 2019-2022: Co-PrincipaI Investigator of sub-project WP5 ("Particle Export") in the BMBF joint project CUSCO (Coastal upwelling in a changing ocean)
  • 2017-2022: Post-Doc in the ERC project "Ocean artUP": Potential influence of artificial upwelling on zooplankton communities
  • 1/2014 - 7/2017: Post-Doc in the BMBF project "BIOACID": Impacts of ocean acidification on plankton communities and biogeochemical cycles (GEOMAR)
  • 2013: PhD Thesis: "Effects of increasing temperatures and CO2 on phytoplankton and marine biogeochemical cycles - Combining experimental work and numerical modeling"
  • 2012 and 2013: Research visits (DAAD PhD student fellowship) at the University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB), Marine Science Institute, Superivisors: Uta Passow, Craig Carlson, Mark Brzezinski
  • since 2010  PhD candidate at IFM-GEOMAR, now GEOMAR | Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Marine Biogeochemistry
  • 2010  Diploma in Physical Geography
  • 2009 – 2010  Diploma Thesis at IFM-GEOMAR, title of Diploma thesis: "Modelling the impacts of climate change on marine ecosystems – Investigating the direct effects of temperature on biological processes in a global earth system model"
  • 2004 – 2010: Diploma studies in Physical Geography at Ludwig-Maximilian-University (LMU) Munich, Germany, main focus: Climate change and its impacts on natural systems, Minor subjects: bio- / ecoclimatology, remote sensing (until intermediate diploma also economics and political science)

Awards and Fellowships

  • 2022: GEOMAR prize for granted patent: “all-in-focus” plankton imaging method (DE 10 2021 109 153 A1)
  • 2020: GEOMAR Innovation Award for the development of the “all-in-focus” plankton imaging method
  • 2014: PhD Thesis Award of the Werner-Petersen-Foundation
  • 2012: DAAD fellowship for graduate students for a research visit at the University of Santa Barbara California (UCSB), USA
  • 2011: Publication award of the Leibniz Institute of Marine Sciences (IFM-GEOMAR)

Publications

Overview

 

Ten most important publications

  1. Taucher, J., Bach, L.T., Prowe, A.E.F., Boxhammer, T., Kvale, K., Riebesell, U. (2022): Enhanced silica export in a future ocean triggers global diatom decline. Nature, doi:10.1038/s41586-022-04687-0 
  2. Taucher J., Boxhammer T., Bach L. T.,Paul A. J., Schartau M., Stange P., Riebesell U. (2021): Changing carbon-to-nitrogen ratios of organic-matter export under ocean acidification. Nature Climate Change, doi:10.1038/s41558-020-00915-5
  3. Taucher, J., Lechtenbörger, A.K., Bouquet, J.-M., Spisla, C., Boxhammer, T., Minutolo, F., Bach, L.T., Lohbeck, K.T., Sswat, M., Dörner, I., Ismar-Rebitz, S.M.H., Thompson, E.M., Riebesell, U. (2024) The appendicularian Oikopleura dioica can enhance carbon export in a high CO2 ocean. Global Change Biology, doi:10.1111/gcb.17020
  4. Taucher J., and Oschlies A. (2011): Can we predict the direction of marine primary production change under global warming? Geophysical Research Letters, 38, doi:10.1029/2010gl045934 
  5. Taucher J., Stange P., Algueró-Muñiz M., Bach L. T., Nauendorf A., Kolzenburg R., Büdenbender J., Riebesell U. (2018): In situ camera observations reveal major role of zooplankton in modulating marine snow formation during an upwelling-induced plankton bloom. Progress in Oceanography. doi:10.1016/j.pocean.2018.01.004 
  6. Wirtz, K., Smith, S.L., Mathis, M., Taucher, J. (2022) Vertically migrating phytoplankton fuel high oceanic primary production. Nature Climate Change, doi:10.1038/s41558-022-01430-5
  7. Taucher J., Haunost M., Boxhammer T., Bach L. T., Algueró-Muñiz M., Riebesell U. (2017): Influence of ocean acidification on plankton community structure during a winter-to-summer succession: An imaging approach indicates that copepods can benefit from elevated CO2 via indirect food web effects. PloS ONE, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0169737
  8. Bach L. T. and Taucher J. (2019): CO2 effects on diatoms: A Synthesis of more than a decade of ocean acidification experiments with natural communities. Ocean Science, 10.5194/os-15-1159-2019
  9. Taucher J., Jones J., James A., Brzezinski M. A., Carlson C. A., Riebesell U., Passow U. (2015). Combined effects of CO2 and temperature on carbon uptake and partitioning by the marine diatoms Thalassiosira weissflogii and Dactyliosolen fragilissimus. Limnology and Oceanography, doi:10.1002/lno.10063
  10. Sswat M., Stiasny M. H., Taucher J., Algueró-Muñiz M., Bach L.T., Jutfelt F., Riebesell U., Clemmesen C. (2018): Food web changes under ocean acidification promote herring larvae survival. Nature Ecology & Evolution, doi:10.1038/s41559-018-0514-6

Granted patent(s)
Taucher, J., Dausmann, V. & Theileis, A (2022). Verfahren zur verbesserten optischen Auflösung in großen Messvolumina bei der telezentrischen Shadowgraphie und Vorrichtung zur Durchführung des Verfahrens. Patent ID: DE 10 2021 109 153 A1