Summer School: Coastal Systems under Pressure

More than 50 % of the human population live at the coast. Sea level rise, increasing population density and industrial activities, coastal erosion - all these influences exert pressures on coastal systems where land and water meet and particularly the human influence on the sea and the maritime impact on human societies become apparent. Eutrophication by sewage discharge, organic micropollutants and heavy metals released to rivers and the sea, hydrocarbons from oil and gas mining are among the impacts that man exerts on marine ecosystems, but also the protection of human settlements from sea level rise, storm surges or tsunamis are of increasing importance. The coastal areas of the North and Baltic Sea are among the most frequently visited searoutes worldwide, and the danger of fatal accidents is increasing. For all these reasons, we consider it of utmost importance to disseminate knowledge gained in our research centres. Experts in the fields of physical and chemical oceanography, coastal meteorology, biology and ecology, and coastal zone management will present their experience during the school.

The Alfred-Wegener Institute for Marine and Polar Research, the Baltic Sea Research Institute, GKSS Research Centre and the Research and Technology Centre Westcoast are the leading national centres for coastal research in Germany. They have been organising a common annual summer school since 2002 in Sylt, Helgoland, Geesthacht, Büsum and Warnemünde.

Students (graduate, PhD students, and postdocs) from European countries interested in coastal research are invited to apply.