Researchers in Hamburg have done the math: If fishing in the Baltic Sea continues at the same level as in the past few decades, then even without the effects of climate change there will be only very few codfish in the Baltic in the middle term. As such, adequate sheltered areas for young fish and effective limits on maximum catch are essential.
Picture: E. Sawistowski/pixelio.de
Braving temperatures of minus 30 degrees Celsius, a researcher from the Institute of Soil Science examines the soil of the Siberian tundra. These permanently frozen soils are enormous carbon reservoirs. If they continue to thaw as a result of global warming, considerable amounts of greenhouse gases will be released into the atmosphere.
Large spherical buoys ‘anchor’ measuring equipment at different ocean depths. After roughly two years, they are recovered and the recorded data is analyzed. How warm is the ocean, and how large is the salinity? What currents are there? Simulations show how the ocean transports heat and energy around the planet.
Four high-resolution radar stations have been installed around Hamburg, measuring and transmitting the latest precipitation every 30 seconds and with an accuracy of up to 60 meters. This information can be used to predict flood risks and to provide researchers with key information on water cycles and the exchange between land and atmosphere.
Volcanic eruptions can spark climate change: Sulfate aerosol layers can cool the atmosphere, while ash rains fertilize the seas. Here the researchers’ goal is to be able to better predict these eruptions’ effects on the climate.
Sediments hold vital clues to the history of our planet: How have climate conditions changed over the millennia? With the help of these historical archives, researchers can differentiate between naturally occurring and anthropogenic influences.
How should farmland be used in the future? What are the arguments in favor of biofuels – and those against them? Can business, climate protection and social justice all be reconciled? At the Research Unit Sustainability and Global Change, researchers from various disciplines work together to find solutions.
In an attempt to cut emissions of environmentally harmful carbon dioxide, international trading systems for emissions permits have been established. But why aren’t these systems more effective? Sociologists and political scientists are working together to identify concrete new strategies.
How will climate change affect at-risk regions? Researchers are using the example of the Okavango Delta to develop future scenarios for land use in Africa. Combining on-location studies with analyses using geo-software of their own design, they are working to determine how many people the region will be able to feed in the future, and under which conditions.
... links the natural and social sciences with the goal of addressing overarching scientific issues by working together. CEN is a central research center at Universität Hamburg and part of the network KlimaCampus Hamburg.
