Logo Universitat Bremen
Page path:

Gema Martínez-Méndez

My main scientific interests relate to past and present ocean circulation and climatic changes. So far, I have mainly worked in reconstructions of the past ocean variability of South Africa, in the South East Pacific and Western Equatorial Pacific. In my current project I focus on the variability of Antarctic Intermediate Water. This is a water mass (body of water with well-defined properties) which is sourced from the outskirts of the Southern Ocean and flows today as far as 15°N. For my research I use indirect indicators of past water properties (we call these “proxies”) obtained from the chemical composition of fossil shells of foraminifera (unicellular organisms).
Once upon a time humankind was entirely aware of being one component of Nature, of being part of a whole. Once upon a time humankind started speaking about itself and Nature as two separate entities. By participating in this project I would like to contribute to humankind regaining self-conscious of being one component of the Earth System. We have an impact on Nature and Nature has an impact on our lives. This is particularly relevant nowadays in reference to the many discussions about human-made climate change. With the new media technologies the lain public is bombed with information and misinformation. These series of stories aims to clarify some aspects of present climate change and builds bridges between scientific knowledge and general public. Once in a coming time more humans will feel part of Nature and look for a balance between wellbeing and overusing resources.

Here you can listen to an excerpt of my story "The Bremen Town Musicians set sail".

Team