PhytoDive

Available spectral data should enable the analysis of individual phytoplankton groups with the help of artificial intelligence. The main focus of this project is on global sea areas with the greatest ecological and social relevance - in the transition from the open ocean, the shelf areas to the coasts and the marginal seas. Important phytoplankton groups, which can also occur in toxic algal blooms, are to be identified locally and observed over space-time. With the help of operational and climatological ocean color data, anomalies and changes in flowers and species composition are to be investigated. Depending on the phytoplankton groups and regional circumstances, important parameters for climate studies such as the primary production of phytoplankton and the associated carbon cycle should be estimated. The results are to be validated and used in IfK cooperation and with national partners. The results are to be prepared for the modeling of marine biogeochemistry and the pelagic ecosystem. Possible anthropogenic causes for changes, such as rising water temperatures due to climate change, increased nutrient input from rivers or the construction of offshore structures, are to be analyzed. Corresponding effects for fisheries and aquaculture, but also for other interest groups should be communicated.

We work on Work Packages 3 and 4, with focus on primary production and carbon cycling. We investigate the role of coccolithophores and Noctiluca Scintillans species in collaboration with other Hereon researchers.