IFM-GEOMAR Annual Report 2011 Appendices

1. Management & Organization
1.1 IFM-GEOMAR Overview
The Leibniz Institute of Marine Sciences
at the Kiel University (IFM-GEOMAR) was
founded January 1, 2004 through a merger
of the former Institute for Marine Research
(IfM) and the GEOMAR Research Centre for
Marine Geosciences.
The mission of IFM-GEOMAR is to investigate
the physical, chemical, biological,
and geological processes in the ocean
and their interaction with the seafloor
and the atmosphere.
IFM-GEOMAR has identified four overarching
research themes:
• Role of the Ocean in Climate Change
• Human Impact on Marine Ecosystems
• Living and Non-Living Marine Resources
• Plate Tectonic Processes and Geological
Hazards.
The research topics are grouped in four areas:
Ocean Circulation and Climate Dynamics,
Marine Biogeochemistry, Marine Ecology, and
Dynamics of the Ocean Floor. In addition,
there are two major interdisciplinary Collaborative
Research Centres (SFBs) funded
by the German Science Foundation (DFG).
The institute is an independent foundation
under public law, supervised by a “Board of
Governors” which consists of representatives
of State and Federal Governments, the Kiel
University, a representative from another research
institution, a representative from pri-
vate industry and the chairman of the institute’s
Scientific Advisory Board (SAB). The
SAB of IFM-GEOMAR is an internationally
constituted advisory group with leading scientists
representing all major research disciplines
found at the institute. An overview of
the organizational structure of the institute
is shown in Figure 1 (page 4). By the end of
2011, IFM-GEOMAR had about 764 employees,
including 383 scientists and 381 service
and technical staff (incl. student assistance).
About 306 scientists and 242 service and
technical staff were funded through research
grants.
The Leibniz Institute of Marine Sciences is
associated with the Kiel University through
a cooperation agreement and contributes
substantially to undergraduate and graduate
teaching in the following fields: Bachelor in
“Physics of the Earth System: Oceanography
- Meteorology - Geophysics”, Master in
“Climate Physics: Meteorology and Physical
Oceanography”, Master in “Biological Oceanography”,
and contributions to other courses
in Geosciences at Kiel University.
The involvement of master, diploma and
Ph.D. students in research projects is an important
element of IFM-GEOMAR research.
The total number of students at IFM-GEO-
MAR is currently about 300. Through training
of students and young scientists from
foreign countries, the institute has contributed
significantly to the development of
Appendices
infrastructures for marine science in many
regions of the world. Several international
study programmes have been implemented
in recent years.
Much of the institute’s research work contributes
to international research efforts
such as the World Climate Research Programme
(WCRP), the International Geosphere-Biosphere
Programme (IGBP) or
the Integrated Ocean Drilling Programme
(IODP). Emphasis is on a better understanding
of the ocean’s past and present role for
climate variations and air-sea interactions,
the role of biogeochemical transport and
transformations in global change, the response
and sensitivity of marine ecosystems
to external forcing, gas hydrate research
and risk assessment of natural hazards due
to plate tectonics.
IFM-GEOMAR scientists have a long tradition
of participating in national and international
planning and management of large-scale
inter-disciplinary research programs. This
includes programmes such as CLIVAR (Climate
Variability and Predictability), BALTEX
(Baltic Sea Experiment), SOLAS (Surface
Ocean Lower Atmosphere), GLOBEC (Global
Ocean Ecosystems Dynamics), IODP, Interridge,
and others.
The scientific work of IFM-GEOMAR could
not have been maintained without funding
of peer-reviewed proposals through the Ger-
- IFM-GEOMAR Report 2011 - 1
Appendices