Oldenburg. The Amazon is the largest river on Earth. About per cent of the freshwater that flows from the continents into the world oceans comes from this gigantic tropical river. Together with the freshwater, large amounts of nutrients and plant debris are carried into the Atlantic. A recently discovered coral reef in the depths of the Atlantic and productive fish stocks directly depend on these inputs. Scientists and students from ICBM and the University UENF in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) investigate on board of the German research vessel Meteor how organic debris from the Amazon influences marine ecosystems in the Atlantic.

This work builds on more than a decade of collaborative research of the Brazilian-German team. In the focus of the ongoing research are contaminants like mercury, but also essential nutrients for algae, such as iron and copper. The team works together with colleagues from Jacobs University in Bremen, GEOMAR in Kiel and other institutions in Brazil and Germany during the three-week research expedition onboard RV Meteor.

Current informationen about the expedition:
https://www.planeterde.de/logbuecher/fs-meteor-amazonas
http://amazongeotraces-m147.com/