Project partner #2

NAME OF THE ORGANIZATION: GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel

MAIN CONTACT FOR GoJELLY: Dr. Jan Dierking, jdierking@geomar.de

ADDRESS: Duesternbrooker Weg 20, 24105- Kiel, Germany

WEBSITE and other links:
www.geomar.de
https://twitter.com/geomar_en
 https://www.facebook.com/geomar.kiel

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE ORGANIZATION

GEOMAR is among the largest non-university research institutions in the field of marine sciences in Germany (950 staff), and a member of the Helmholtz Association, Germany’s largest non-university scientific organisation. The centre’s mandate is the inter-and multidisciplinary investigation of all relevant aspects of modern marine sciences, from sea floor geology through physical, chemical and biological oceanography to marine meteorology. Research is conducted worldwide in all oceans. The main research topics are grouped in four divisions: Ocean Circulation and Climate Dynamics, Marine Biogeochemistry, Marine Ecology, and Dynamics of the Ocean Floor. GEOMAR cooperates closely with national and international research institutions and with a number of SMEs active in marine technology and science. Within the research division Marine Ecology the core activities are to understand species’ adaptations and interactions under climate change and anthropogenic pressures, how biodiversity and  ecosystem structure and function are linked, the study of deep sea oceanic food webs, and  how marine organism and substances can be utilized as novel marine resources for human application.

COMPETENCES AND INVOLVEMENT in GoJelly

  • Offers its mid-size research vessels (RV POLARFUCHS, ALKOR and POSEIDON) for investigations of the Baltic Sea over the course of the project
  • Offers expertise with oceanic cruises to apply for and coordinate large-scale investigation of Eastern North Atlantic food webs, and in particular the role of gelatinous zooplankton in these sytems (German large RV METEOR).
  • Offers its unique analytical facilities suitable for research on jellyfish, such as simultaneous delta N-15, delta C-13 and delta S-34 measurements of low-biomass samples, fatty acid analysis, flow cytrometery and stoichiometrical measurements.
  • Providing excellent network, being ranked among the five leading marine research institutions world wide

Team members

Jan Dierking, PhD, Marine Ecology
https://www.geomar.de/mitarbeiter/fb3/ev/jdierking/

I am interested in the ecology and population genetics of marine (fish) species, and the integration of the resulting biological datasets with environmental data to improve our understanding of the drivers of spatio-temporal patterns observed in the sea. In this context, one focus area is the use of stable isotope ecology to better understand marine foodwebs and their components, with a focus on  gelatinous zooplankton in GoJelly. I have also been leading and coordinating research cruises on the Baltic Sea system for the past 8 years. Link to further information: https://www.geomar.de/mitarbeiter/fb3/ev/jdierking/