Scientists in the Kiel Marine Science research focus area are committed to an active transfer of knowledge with society, with the goal of supporting knowledge-based options for effective protection and use of the seas. In particular, these activities include communicating research results to various interest groups in politics, business or civil society, as well as participating in transdisciplinary research projects implemented by the Center for Ocean and Society (CeOS) in cooperation with stakeholders. Additionally, KMS members participate in public events and hold lectures as part of an active approach to public outreach and promotion of the research focus area.

For more than ten years, the “Kieler Marktplatz” (Kiel Marketplace) event series has supported networking between science, politics, business, and the broader community. The forum for information exchange brings together more than 60 participants up to four times annually, and is aimed at researchers from tertiary institutions in Kiel, the maritime industry, and political decision-makers. Kieler Marktplatz is a joint event of the Future Ocean Network, the Maritime Cluster Northern Germany (Schleswig-Holstein Branch), and Wissenschaftszentrum Kiel GmbH (WiZe) and is coordinated by the Center for Ocean and Society (CeOS), the KMS platform for transdisciplinary marine research.

• Link to Kieler Marktplatz website

The World Ocean Review (WOR) is a series of comprehensive, in-depth reports on the state of the world’s oceans. They provide information – written in an easily understandable way – on the causal relationships between the ocean and its coasts, as well as on ecological, economic and socio-political conditions. Six volumes in the series have been released by publishers maribus and mareverlag to date. Volume 1 provides an overview of the urgent challenges facing the world’s oceans, while the subsequent volumes delve more deeply into specific themes in marine and coastal research such as overfishing, marine resources, sea level rise and coastal land use, the Arctic and Antarctic, as well as the issue of sustainability.

Link to World Ocean Review website

Scientists at KMS regularly participate in various public outreach and scientific communication activities. These include formats such as public events or lectures for a range of target groups. KMS is regularly and actively involved in initiatives of the State of Schleswig-Holstein (German Reunification Day), the City of Kiel and Kiel Region GmbH (European Researchers Night, ERN) and events hosted by Kiel University (Kiel Week, Night of the Profs, SHUG lectures, Kids' University at Kiel University). Additionally, KMS maintains close partnerships with networks such as the Ocean Summit (Böll Foundation).

• Link to Ocean Summit Kiel website
• Link to European Researchers Night (Kiel) website
   

The Ocean Atlas from the Future Ocean Network, the Böll Foundation, and the monthly magazine le monde diplomatique presents 12 chapters with a total of over 50 pages of data, facts  and interconnections concerning the ocean and the influence of humanity on the largest connected ecosystem on Earth. The Ocean Atlas is available for free, and can also be provided in class sets or for educational institutions on request. Further information and a download page with 80 graphics is available on the Ocean Atlas website.

Link to Ocean Atlas website

The topic of overfishing and catch size features prominently in the newly designed exhibition at the Baltic Sea Information Centre. Together with KMS, the Centre has developed an engaging component of the exhibit “Fischlängenspiel” that provides information over the most popular edible fish in the Baltic Sea – cod, herring, and plaice.

Link to Baltic Sea Information Centre website

Scientists at the Research and Technology Centre, West Coast (FTZ) investigate how offshore wind farms affect the behaviour of migratory birds. Using telemetry, they record movement patterns of individual birds in marine regions over an extended time period. The data collected forms the basis for administrative decisions on the construction of offshore facilities or the designation of protected areas, including for migratory birds.

Fish are an important source of food worldwide. However, there are a shrinking number of edible fish in the world’s oceans. Around a third of fish stocks are overfished or threatened by overfishing, including stocks of cod, plaice, and herring in the North and Baltic Seas. Sustainable fisheries management can assist in securing stock levels. Animations have been developed in order to inform exhibition visitors about the different methods of fishing. Some fishing techniques are destructive to the marine environment or result in a large amount of unwanted bycatch.

Links:
UNESCO Chairs (german Webpage)

Research group “Social Dynamics in Coastal and Marine Areas”

Prof. Dr. Silja Klepp

Research group “Marine Carbon Cycle”

Prof. Dr. Arne Körtzinger

Ocean Science Center Mindelo