The Ocean in the Earth System

The Earth is a complex, dynamic system. Ocean, lithosphere, biosphere, atmosphere and cryosphere are closely interlinked though interaction. The Cluster addresses the question of how the flow of energy can act through geological and biological systems on and under the ocean surface. How is the flow fed? How is it distributed, regulated and used? Interest centres both on hot vents such as Black Smokers and cold seeps such as gas hydrates and mud volcanoes at the sea floor. The geoscientific studies aim to gain a better understanding of the ocean’s role in the global earth system. The Cluster supplements the DFG Research Centre on Ocean Margins that has been investigating selected questions of marine, climate and polar research since 2001. Themes are: Ocean and Climate, Geosphere-Biosphere Interactions, and Sediment Dynamics. The participating institutions are: * University of Bremen (host institution) * Jacobs University Bremen * Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum, Department of Marine Science, Wilhelmshaven * Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven * Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen * Centre for Tropical Marine Ecology, Bremen