Mourning the loss of GEOMAR employee Dr Gerd Krahmann

Gerd Krahmann grew up near Kiel, in Gettorf, and studied physics at the Christian-Albrechts University in Kiel from 1986 to 1991. In 1997, he completed his doctorate under the supervision of Prof. Dr Friedrich Schott with the thesis ‘Seasonal and interannual variability in the western Mediterranean - analysis of historical data’. In his acknowledgements, he wrote: ‘Thanks to him (F. Schott), the phrase “Go into Regional Oceanography and you will get to know the world” became a reality!’ And Gerd Krahmann did indeed conduct research on all the world's oceans.

His scientific career began with studies on large-scale changes in the Mediterranean, which included a postdoctoral research stay at the University of Paris. He later focussed on circulation in the North Atlantic and its connection to climate variability. In 1998 he went to New York, where he conducted research with Prof Dr Martin Visbeck at Columbia University. In 2005, he returned to the former Leibniz Institute of Oceanography (now GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel) to become part of the Physical Oceanography research unit.

Here, Gerd Krahmann devoted himself to a broad spectrum of topics in physical oceanography. These included seismic oceanography, oxygen minimum zones in the tropical Atlantic and Pacific as well as highly productive upwelling areas on the eastern margins of these oceans. He was particularly interested in the application of the latest observation techniques and the analysis and provision of research data. Gerd Krahmann was a sought-after expert for current measurements, starting with Pegasus and later with the LADCP, as well as for CTD measurements of temperature, salinity, oxygen, chlorophyll and nutrients - including the necessary calibration of these data.

One outstanding project was the introduction of gliders, autonomous underwater vehicles. He coordinated numerous glider missions in the Atlantic, Pacific and Mediterranean. Of particular note was the world premiere of a new turbulence measurement system, in which a turbulence probe was installed on a glider to continuously collect mixing data. He carried out many of his projects from the Ocean Science Centre Mindelo on Cape Verde, where he worked closely with Cape Verdean colleagues.

Gerd Krahmann's deep technical understanding encompassed not only the measurement technology itself, but also the analysis and calibration of the data obtained. With his extensive knowledge of metadata and the quality of scientific data sets, as well as his knowledge of database structures, he was a central interface between science and data centres. Through his work, he enabled numerous bachelor's, master's and doctoral theses and contributed significantly to the publication of our research results in international journals.

Gerd Krahmann also demonstrated his technical skills at GEOMAR's Friday Researchers' Club, where he was able to get pupils from the region interested in marine science with total commitment. Together they developed, among other things, an autonomous underwater vehicle from commercially available components that functioned in a similar way to the scientific gliders.

Gerd Krahmann was an invaluable advisor for almost all questions of physical oceanography at sea. When looking for solutions, it was a natural approach to ask him. In most cases, he was able to help directly or took up the challenge - not only for our research unit, but also for other GEOMAR departments and international research groups. His open, friendly and helpful manner, coupled with his goal-orientated and well-documented way of working, made working with him a great pleasure, whether at the institute, on research cruises or during measurement campaigns on land.

Gerd Krahmann's sudden and unexpected death is a great loss. GEOMAR mourns the loss of a valued colleague and friend and will honour his memory. Our deepest sympathy goes to his wife and two children.