Current Projects

Funding by Austrian Science Fund (FWF)

Shedding light on dark ocean’s detrital particles: origin, composition and age (DEPOCA), 2022-2025

Short Description:

There is a major mismatch between the organic matter supply and the organic matter demand of the heterotrophic organisms inhabiting the deep-sea. The consumption of organic matter is much higher than the organic matter flux in to the deep-ocean and this mismatch increasing with increasing depth reaching one order of magnitude at 1000 m depth. Resolving this discrepancy between organic matter supply and consumption is the goal of DEPOCA. We have evidence, based on earlier work, that there is a major stock of organic particles in the deep-sea which is not sinking through the oceanic water column but is neutrally buoyant and hence, transported horizontally through the water column. While the source of these buoyant particles is unknown, we do have evidence that these particles are heavily colonized by bacteria and fungi utilizing this material. The project DEPOCA aims at deciphering the source and fate of these particles in the deep waters of the North Atlantic. During a research expedition, sinking and neutrally buoyant particles will be collected and the age and source of these particles determined. Also, the microbial community composition and the activity of the microbes will be assessed. We expect that these neutrally buoyant particles, which escape routine measurements will resolve the enigma of the “missing organic matter” in the deep ocean.

PI: Gerhard J. Herndl

PhD in project: Marilena Heitger

Funding by Austrian Science Fund (FWF)

DEcay of an invasive Ctenophore blOoms as perturbation to the coastal marine MicroBial community (DE-COMB), 2021-2023

PI: Gerhard J. Herndl

Postdoc in project: Eduard Fadeev

Funding by the University of Vienna

Plastics in the Environment and Society (PLENTY)

Research Platform
PI: Gerhard J. Herndl
PhD in project: Mili Shah