Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research Warnemünde

The IOW studies Coastal and Marine Systems in a holistic and interdisciplinary approach in comparative study areas. A regional focus is on the Baltic Sea System, which – among other research activities on coastal systems abroad – represents a unique model region for fostering in-depth process understanding, upscaling and eventual global perspectives. To understand processes, patterns and functioning of coastal seas and their interactions, the IOW examines the dynamics of natural changes and variabilities as well as human impacts on it in the past, present and future. Towards this goal biological, chemical, geological and physical aspects are studied. Fundamental and applied-oriented research is conducted by ship-based in-situ experiments and long-term observation programmes as well as strong research facilities and instrumentation at the institute. The most important research infrastructure operated and owned by IOW is the research vessel Elisabeth Mann Borgese. Data-driven research is used for model development and assessment, and also for novel integrated modelling approaches (e.g. ocean, biogeochemical, hydrodynamic, atmospheric models). Moreover, the IOW is engaged in supporting the socio-ecological transformation of the society towards sustainability and resilience by various transfer channels, dialogue formats and science-based recommendations.

The research is based on the ten-year (2024-2033) research programme “Perspectives of Coastal Seas”, which comprises three interdisciplinary research areas: “Key Processes across Scales and Boundaries” (Research Area 1), “Coastal Seas in Transition” (Research Area 2) and “Emerging Technologies Enabling Advanced Marine Science" (Research Area 3). The five departments collaborate on an interdisciplinary basis across these three research areas. An important new step compared to the previous programme is its additional orientation towards the shallow water processes between the coastline and a water depth of about 10-20 m.