Baltic Sea Mission - GEOMAR

In July of 2026, several research expeditions led by the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel set sail in the Baltic Sea aboard the Malizia Explorer. The missions focussed on seagrass ecosystems and phytoplankton, two key components of the Baltic marine environment.

The joint mission took place in the Kiel Bight, along Germany’s Baltic Sea coast and the coastal waters of southern Denmark. A major focus of the expedition was the investigation of seagrass meadows, which serve as important habitats for marine life and can store significant amounts of carbon. Researchers collected sediment cores to analyse existing carbon storage capacities and assess the blue carbon potential of seagrass ecosystems. Additional work included genetic sampling to better understand the diversity and connectivity of seagrass populations, as well as environmental monitoring to identify local conditions and small-scale microclimates within the meadows.

Another part of the research mission aimed to improve our understanding of the Baltic Sea’s resilience to anthropogenic environmental pressures, with researchers investigating the effects of climate change, eutrophication and oxygen depletion, all of which are placing increasing stress on the ecosystem.

The research was conducted jointly by GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Kiel University (Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel), and the University of Southern Denmark.