©Sören Janssen
On 12 and 13 May numerous exhibitors of the University of Bonn, various research institutions and universities from the region presented their current research projects according to the motto „sustainable research“.
In addition to various hands-on stations on sustainability in the areas of nutrition and health, artificial intelligence, robotics and aviation, numerous presentations took place. The Bonn Alliance for Sustainability Research was represented with presentations by the German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE), the University of Bonn, the Bonn International Centre for Conflict Studies (BICC) and the United Nations University Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS). In an interactive lecture, Ramona Hägele, researcher at the German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE), presented her impressions and results of her participation in a 7-week expedition with a German research vessel in the Labrador Sea between Canada and Greenland.
The presentation provided insights into the research expedition, in which the previously unexplored morphology of the Northwest Atlantic Mid-Ocean Channel (NAMOC), the longest known deep-sea channel in the world, was investigated through detailed mapping and sediment sampling by scientists from the University of Kiel (CAU). Furthermore, biogeochemical Argo Floats were deployed in the North Atlantic and Labrador Sea for a BMBF-funded project coordinated by GEOMAR (Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel), which aims to link and improve marine carbon observations. Measurements from these submersible buoys provide essential inputs to climate change scenarios, negotiations, and policy.
During the lecture, Ramona Hägele explained what the seafloor reveals about climate change, how the ocean is related to the carbon cycle, and why accompanying social science research on a research vessel is of great importance for working towards sustainable development.
The presentation was also linked to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially SDG 13 „Climate Action“ and SDG 14 „Life below water.“ The audience was then invited to brainstorm how everyone can support the ocean-related Sustainable Development Goals. This led to a lively exchange on the importance of the ocean as an effective carbon sink, the challenges of interdisciplinary research, and the need for political action on ocean protection.
