Ocean Extremes

Our understanding of extreme events in the marine realm, and their impact on ecosystems and ocean biogeochemistry remains limited. This is of concern as the ocean is warming, losing oxygen and being acidified, leading to changes also in the associated extremes, namely marine heatwaves, low oxygen extremes, and high acidity extremes. In particular, these events are bound to intensify, occur more often, persist for longer periods of time and extend over larger regions.

Compound events— that is, multiple extreme events that occur simultaneously or in close sequence are of particular concern, as their individual effects may interact synergistically. The conditions exhibited by present extreme events may be a harbinger of what may become normal in the future. Thus, pursuing this research effort may help us better understand the responses of marine organisms and ecosystems to future climate change.

In our group, we assess patterns and trends in ocean extremes from the regional to the global scale utilizing observations and models. Furthermore, we investigate the potential impacts of individual and compound extremes on marine organisms and ecosystems. A key aspect of our research focuses on subsurface extremes, and recognizing the necessity of treating oceanic extremes as dynamic, three-dimensional objects that evolve over time.

Our work is guided by the following questions: (i) Assessment of occurrence and trends in ocean extremes, (ii) Processes governing extreme events, and (iii) Ecosystem and biogeochemical impacts of extreme events. Funding for this work comes from SNF and the EERIE project.

People involved:

Eike Köhn
Joel Wong
Matthias Münnich
Nicolas Gruber
Emma Ferri
Urs Hofmann Elizondo
Meike Vogt