Bettina Meyer | |
---|---|
Nationality | Germany |
Alma mater | BSc Giessen University BSc University of Kiel PhD University of Rostock |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Marine biology |
Institutions | Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research |
Website | Bettina Meyer at the Alfred Wegener Institute |
Bettina Meyer is a German Antarctic researcher, best known for her work on the ecology and physiology of invertebrates in the pelagic zone. She is the head of the ecophysiology of pelagic key species working group at the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research (AWI).
From 1987 to 1992 Meyer read biology, focusing on Marine biology and oceanography, at Giessen University and at the University of Kiel. [1] In 1996 she received her PhD, titled "Feeding strategies of the calanoid copepods in two different tropicalised areas in the Baltic Sea (Pomeranian Bay, Gotland Sea)", at the University of Rostock. [1] In 2010 she completed a postdoc at the University Bremen, focusing on ecophysiological studies on the overwintering of Antarctic krill ( Euphausia superba ). [1] [2] Shen then completed a science management course in 2011 at the Malik Management School, Switzerland. [1]
Meyer specialises in marine biology and ecophysiology with an interest in the biodiversity and biological flows of matter in the pelagic zone of the polar seas. [1] Her research focuses on key polar invertebrates such as Antarctic krill, copepods, amphipods, and gelatinous plankton (e.g. salps, jellyfish). [1] [3] She also researches the impact of endogenous clocks on the life cycle of these organisms, their adaptability and performance to environmental stressors based on their physiological and genetic traits, as well as their role in biogeochemical cycles. [1] [3]
From 1992–1996 and again during 1998 Meyer was a research associate at the Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research, Germany. [4] [5] In 1997 she completed a one-year research associate position at the Plymouth Marine Laboratory in Plymouth (UK), funded by a prestigious EU Marie Curie postdoc fellowship. [1] [6] [7] Since 1999 she has been a research associate at the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research (AWI), within the Polar Biological Oceanography section. [8] Meyer is the current head of the Ecophysiology of pelagic key species working group at AWI, [9] while also heading the international and collaborative project Helmholtz Virtual Institute PolarTime: Biological rhythms and clocks in polar pelagic invertebrates. [10] [11] She has travelled to the Southern Ocean on a number of occasions [12] [13] [14] on the RV Aurora Australis, [11] [15] and the RV Polarstern. [16] [17]
From 2009–2011 Meyer collaborated with Prof. Kramer and Dr M. Teschke in the Chronobiology Research Group at the Charité hospital and University of Medicine, Berlin, [18] was an active member of the Lazarev Sea Krill Study (LAKRIS), the German contribution to Southern Ocean Global Ocean Ecosystems Dynamics (SO-GLOBEC) from 2005-2008 [19] and served as a board member on the Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems Cooperative Research Centre (ACE CRC). [20] Meyer currently serves on the senate commission on oceanography at the German Research Foundation (DFG) [21] and is an associate member of SO-eEOV WG (designing a biological observing system in the Southern Ocean to inform global ocean observing of marine ecosystems). [22]
Meyer holds a professorship at the University of Oldenburg (Germany), [23] [24] where she heads a project at the Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Oceans (ICBM) focusing on the biodiversity and biological processes of the polar oceans. [25] [26] [27]
Meyer was awarded the EU Marie Curie postdoc fellowship in 1997 to work in the Zooplankton group at the Plymouth Marine Laboratory. [28]
Antarctic krill is a species of krill found in the Antarctic waters of the Southern Ocean. It is the dominant animal species of Earth. It is a small, swimming crustacean that lives in large schools, called swarms, sometimes reaching densities of 10,000–30,000 individual animals per cubic metre. It feeds directly on minute phytoplankton, thereby using the primary production energy that the phytoplankton originally derived from the sun in order to sustain their pelagic life cycle. It grows to a length of 6 centimetres (2.4 in), weighs up to 2 grams (0.071 oz), and can live for up to six years. It is a key species in the Antarctic ecosystem and in terms of biomass, is one of the most abundant animal species on the planet.
Northern krill, Meganyctiphanes norvegica, is a species of krill that lives in the North Atlantic Ocean. It is an important component of the zooplankton, providing food for whales, fish and birds. M. norvegica is the only species recognised in the genus Meganyctiphanes, although it has been known by several synonyms:
Krill are small crustaceans of the order Euphausiacea, and are found in all the world's oceans. The name "krill" comes from the Norwegian word krill, meaning "small fry of fish", which is also often attributed to species of fish.
RV Polarstern is a German research icebreaker of the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) in Bremerhaven, Germany. Polarstern was built by Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft in Kiel and Nobiskrug in Rendsburg, was commissioned in 1982, and is mainly used for research in the Arctic and Antarctica. The ship has a length of 118 metres and is a double-hulled icebreaker. She is operational at temperatures as low as −50 °C (−58 °F). Polarstern can break through ice 1.5 m thick at a speed of 5 knots. Thicker ice up to 3 m (9.8 ft) thick can be broken by ramming.
The Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research is located in Bremerhaven, Germany, and a member of the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres. It conducts research in the Arctic, the Antarctic, and the high and mid latitude oceans. Additional research topics are: North Sea research, marine biological monitoring, and technical marine developments. The institute was founded in 1980 and is named after meteorologist, climatologist, and geologist Alfred Wegener.
A research vessel is a ship or boat designed, modified, or equipped to carry out research at sea. Research vessels carry out a number of roles. Some of these roles can be combined into a single vessel but others require a dedicated vessel. Due to the demanding nature of the work, research vessels are often constructed around an icebreaker hull, allowing them to operate in polar waters.
Uwe Kils is a German marine biologist specializing in Antarctic biology.
The Antarctic Technology Offshore Lagoon Laboratory (ATOLL) was a floating oceanographic laboratory for in situ observation experiments. This facility also tested instruments and equipment for polar expeditions. The ATOLL hull was the largest fiberglass structure ever built at that time. It was in operation from 1982 to 1995.
The krill fishery is the commercial fishery of krill, small shrimp-like marine animals that live in the oceans world-wide. The present estimate for the biomass of Antarctic krill is 379 million tonnes. The total global harvest of krill from all fisheries amounts to 150–200,000 tonnes annually, mainly Antarctic krill and North Pacific krill.
Karin Lochte is a German oceanographer, researcher, and climate change specialist. In 2007, she became director of the Alfred Wegener Institute in Bremerhaven as well as chairman of the management committee of Jacobs University Bremen.
Euphausia crystallorophias is a species of krill, sometimes called ice krill, crystal krill, or Antarctic coastal krill. It lives in the coastal waters around Antarctica, further south than any other species of krill. The specimens for the species' original description were collected through holes cut in the ice by Robert Falcon Scott's Discovery Expedition, several thousand having been donated by Thomas Vere Hodgson.
Antje Boetius is a German marine biologist. She is a professor of geomicrobiology at the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, University of Bremen. Dr. Boetius received the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize, with 2.5 million euros in funding, in March 2009 for her study of sea bed microorganisms that affect the global climate. She is also the director of Germany's polar research hub, the Alfred Wegener Institute.
Kohnen-Station is a German summer-only polar research station in the Antarctic, able to accommodate up to 20 people. It is named after the geophysicist Heinz Kohnen (1938–1997), who was for a long time the head of logistics at the Alfred Wegener Institute.
Deborah K. Steinberg is an American Antarctic biological oceanographer who works on interdisciplinary oceanographic research programs. Steinberg's research focuses on the role that zooplankton play in marine food webs and the global carbon cycle, and how these small drifting animals are affected by changes in climate.
Angelika Brandt is the world leader in Antarctic deep-sea biodiversity and has developed, organised and led several oceanographic expeditions to Antarctica, notably the series of ANDEEP cruises, which have contributed significantly to Antarctica and deep-sea biology. Brandt was the senior scientist of ANDEEP which was devoted entirely to benthic research in the Antarctic abyss.
Irene R. Schloss is an Antarctic researcher, best known for her work on plankton biology. She is a researcher at the Argentine Antarctic Institute and was a correspondent researcher of the National Scientific and Technical Research Council of Argentina until July 2017. She became an independent researcher since August 2017 and an associate professor at the University of Quebec.
Anita Gerry Johanna Buma is a Dutch Antarctic researcher, best known for her work on ecophysiology of marine microalgae. She was the first Dutch female researcher in Antarctica.
The Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate expedition was a one-year-long expedition into the Central Arctic. For the first time a modern research icebreaker was able to operate in the direct vicinity of the North Pole year round, including the nearly half year long polar night during winter. In terms of the logistical challenges involved, the total number of participants, the number of participating countries, and the available budget, MOSAiC represents the largest Arctic expedition in history.
Filchner Station was a German research station in the Antarctic. Administered by the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research it was established in February 1982 on the Filchner–Ronne Ice Shelf. The first station in Antarctica to be mounted on jacks, the structure was raised each year to allow for the increase in height of the shelf by snowfall. It was also relocated around 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) southwards each year to account for drift of the ice shelf. In October 1998, Filchner Station was stranded on iceberg A-38 when it broke away from the ice shelf. Research operations were cancelled and an emergency salvage operation was carried out that removed the majority of the station by February 1999.