The now launched third research mission of the German Marine Research Alliance named mareXtreme joins around 150 scientists into researching strategies for dealing with extreme marine events and natural hazards – thus addressing highly topical, socially relevant research issues.
mareXtreme started on January 1, 2024 as the third DAM research mission. During the coming three years, around 150 scientists from a total of 29 research institutions and partner organizations will investigate how risk management for extreme marine events and natural hazards can be improved. The research mission is being funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the Science Ministries of the northern German states (Bremen, Hamburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein) with a total of around 20 million euros.
mareXtreme main objective is to substantially improve the projection and management scenarios of extreme marine events and natural hazards to strengthen the resilience of coastal societies and to support the sustainable development of coastal communities.
In a simmilar manner like the first two DAM research missions CDRmare and sustainMare, strong collaboration between multidisciplinary researchers and stakeholders from politics, authorities, industry and civil society in mareXtreme. The aim is to develop socially reflective, solution-oriented practical knowledge – and thus enable science-based decisions in dealing with extreme marine events and natural hazards. “In the course of man-made climate change, extreme events in and around the sea that threaten ecosystems and people are becoming more and more likely – the last few months have clearly shown this,” says Dr. Joachim Harms, Chairman of the DAM Executive Board. “We need new protective measures and a rethinking for the sustainable development of the oceans and coasts. The DAM research mission mareXtreme is intended to help make this possible.”
Research for early risk detection and greater resilience
In no other region is the world’s population growing faster than along the coasts. The high population density, increasing urbanization and the associated intensive economic use of these regions are leading to greater vulnerability to extreme marine events and natural hazards. These drivers or triggered processes cannot be directly influenced. The development of adaptation measures and socially established, institutionalized strategies to limit or prevent damage, such as awareness-raising or early warning systems, is therefore particularly important in order to increase the resilience of society and coastal ecosystems.
The mareXtreme mission focuses on marine geological risks, marine biological risks and marine physical-oceanographic risks, which are bundled in four joint projects and are directly linked to current and regional hazards and challenges:
- ElbeXtreme investigates the effects of physical-oceanographic extreme events on ecosystem services in the Elbe estuarine coastal system; coordination: Eric Achterberg, GEOMAR Helmholtz Center for Ocean Research Kiel.
- METAscales explores the impacts and adaptation strategies to future physical-oceanographic extreme events on German coasts; coordination: Gabriel David, Technische Universität Braunschweig.
- MULTI-MAREX develops improved response and forecasting capabilities for multiple extreme geomarine events such as seaquakes and tsunamis in the Mediterranean; coordination: Heidrun Kopp, GEOMAR Helmholtz Center for Ocean Research.
- PrimePrevention researches ways of predicting biological hazards to the sea in order to prevent socio-economic impacts; coordination: Katja Metfies, Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research.
Further information on the third DAM research mission mareXtreme can be found at www.allianz-meeresforschung.de/kernbereiche/forschung/marine-events-and-natural-hazards
Background: German Marine Research Alliance:
The German Marine Research Alliance (DAM) brings together 24 leading German marine research institutions with the aim of strengthening the sustainable management of coasts, seas and the ocean through research, transfer, data management and digitalisation as well as infrastructures. To this end, the DAM and its member institutions develop solution-orientated knowledge and communicate options for action in politics, business and civil society. It is funded by the federal government and the northern German states of Bremen, Hamburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein.