Ocean Carbon Fluxes and Biological Feedbacks

NEBROC phase I, having started in 1998, was the formal continuation of a longtime co-operation between Royal NIOZ and AWI. In addition, the Dept. of Oceanography of UniB, was integrated in this project within NEBROC phase I. Scientific highlights in the last 5 years include: Quantifying the biological pump and CO2 sink function of the Weddell Sea in a comprehensive carbon budget; establishment of iron limitation of Antarctic phytoplankton both in cultures and in the field; a CO2 rise causes reduction of the rate of calcification relative to organic matter production by coccolithophorids. The natural prolongation of this NEBROC research shall be in the fields of anthropogenic CO2 sequestration, proteomics/genomics techniques for metal enzymes and proteins, a new in situ iron fertilization experiment in the Southern Ocean, and North Sea budgeting and modelling.

Based on the excellent past NEBROC co-operation, we will continue to address major scientific questions concerning carbon fluxes, which remain in the focus of socio-economic interest. The added value of NEBROC is to bring together expertise and resources to efficiently address these research questions. Many publications have resulted, of which a substantial part has joint Royal NIOZ-Bremen authorship. With NEBROC phase I as a base and inoculation, NEBROC scientists were very successful in generating matching funds through EU and national projects. For the future, resources such as RV Polarstern and the Royal NIOZ clean lab facilities will be instrumental and vital in conducting research at the forefront. With an eye towards coming European Union Framework Program 6, we are involved in the forming of a European Network of Excellence in Marine Biogeochemistry (ECCO), and a Large Integrated Program MARCASSA on the net uptake and storage of fossil fuel CO2 in the oceans.

This theme plans to organize two courses for ECOLMAS, „Global Carbon Cycle and the CO2 problem“ and „Tracer techniques in Oceanography“.