Dr. Thorsten Dittmar
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- Thorsten Dittmar
Max Planck Research Group
- Marine Geochemistry -
Carl von Ossietzky University
Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment (ICBM)
Carl-von-Ossietzky-Str. 9-11
D-26129 Oldenburg
Germany
mpi-bremen.deMain Research Interests
Refractory dissolved organic matter (DOM), highly resistant to microbial degradation, has persisted in the ocean for thousands of years and has accumulated to one of the largest pools of reduced carbon on earth's surface. This material could provide an important feedback mechanism in the climate system, because minor changes in the DOM pool would considerably impact atmospheric CO 2 and the radiation balance on earth.
Recent progress in analytical chemistry has allowed the characterisation of DOM at the molecular level in unprecedented detail, revealing new insights into its source and history. We aim to understand the molecular structure-function relationships for DOM and other organic matter pools in order to understand earth's past and future.
Main Research Questions
- What is the molecular composition of marine dissolved organic matter?
- Why does dissolved organic matter persist for thousands of years in the deep ocean?
- Is there a flux of fossil dissolved organic matter from deep sediments into the ocean?
- What is the function of dissolved organic matter in coastal and shelf ecosystems?
"Dissolved organic matter in the oceans - a large mystery in marine research"