Blue Wonder

The oceans are still largely unexplored, yet they have a strong influence on human life. Underway with a camera, the researchers examine the sea in detail, exploring some of the last unknowns on the map: How does the ocean system function? Could tsunamis occur in the greater North Sea region? A fascinating research expedition into the "mare incognita".

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Blue Wonder: Episode 04, 06/05/2008

Tsunamis in the North Sea?

The next storm surge is sure to come. But tsunamis in the North Sea? Thousands of cubic kilometres of rock broke away off the coast of Norway 8,100 years ago. The result: a tsunami. Using deposits, researchers are able to determine that waves more than 20 metres high pounded the Shetland Islands. Did the resulting tsunami, several metres tall, reach the German North Sea coast?

At a glance

University: University of Bremen

Field of Research: Atmospheric Research, Biology, Oceanography

Location: Bremen, Gulf of Mexico, North Atlantic, Pakistan

Episodes: 12

Season/Year: 1. Season/ 2008

Status: Finished

Topics: tsunami, rock, norway, 8100 years ago, north sea, german coast

15.04.2008

At the "Base Station"

Researchers at the MARUM Cluster of Excellence in Bremen will soon be heading under water. There, they will study the inner workings of life in the depths of the ocean. But first, Verner Ernstsen will show us around the "base station".

22.04.2008

Aboard the Senckenberg

They sound harmless, but they could pose a problem to shipping: sand dunes. Sand grains are put into motion by currents, resulting in wave-like features.

29.04.2008

Shrinking Selection

Worldwide, more than three-quarters of all fish stocks are considered endangered, yet commercial fishing continues. How can the fish stocks in the North Atlantic be used sustainably in the long run?

06.05.2008

Tsunamis in the North Sea?

The next storm surge is sure to come. But tsunamis? Thousands of cubic kilometres of rock broke away off the coast of Norway 8,100 years ago. Did the resulting tsunami reach the German North Sea coast?

13.05.2008

Life in Asphalt

In 2003, the camera eye of the QUEST diving robot made a sensational discovery in the Gulf of Mexico: the robot captured images of giant asphalt deposits on the seafloor.

20.05.2008

Mussels for Science

Off the coast of Pakistan, at a depth of 1,800 metres, the diving robot MARUM-QUEST discovered cracks in the seafloor, from which methane gas bubbles escape, and scores of mussel colonies nearby.

27.05.2008

Black Smokers

With a length of 60,000 kilometres, the mid-ocean ridges span the entire Earth. Hidden in the underwater mountain ranges are some of the most spectacular phenomena of the deep sea: black smokers.

03.06.2008

The Indirect Indicator

It’s night shift onboard the research vessel L’Atalante, and Dennis Kühnel collects water samples. He is working on finding out how much and how fast nutrient-rich, deep seawater flows up to the surface.

10.06.2008

Dusty Science

Using dust as a climate archive: "dust researcher" Jan-Berend Stuut collects his samples not only in the desert, but on the seafloor as well, dust with which he would like to reconstruct the climate of the past.

17.06.2008

The Waxing and Waning of Cold-Water Corals

GLOMAR doctoral researcher Markus Eisele is focused on a single question: in what bodies of water do cold-water corals thrive?

24.06.2008

Booming Container Shipping Industry

The Elly Maersk arrives in Bremerhaven. At 400 metres, this is one of the largest container ships in the world. The container shipping industry is booming, but ships of this size are only able to dock at just a few harbours.

01.07.2008

Networked Knowledge

Two dozen computers: From millions of data sets, Dr. Matthias Prange uses computers to generate climate models that simulate the Earth's climate. To that end, Matthias works together closely with the geoscientists....

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