They form a unique interface between sea and land: Coastal peatlands characterize the landscape of the southern Baltic Sea in many places. Here, salty water from the Baltic Sea and low-salt groundwater as well as surface water from the bog can exchange above and below ground.
In her bachelor's thesis, Denise Otto investigated how fluctuating water levels in the Baltic Sea and flooding influence the biogeochemical composition of a bog. With a focus on carbon and sulfur compounds, she carried out isotopic geochemical investigations of soils and pore water in the Hütelmoor, a nature reserve near Rostock, after a severe storm surge. For her outstanding degree in geology at the University of Greifswald, she is honored in Kiel with the Otto Krümmel Award, worth €1,500, donated in equal parts by the “Society for the Promotion of GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel” and the Briese shipping company. Denise Otto carried out her research at the Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research Warnemünde (IOW) in the working group Geochemistry & Isotope Biogeochemistry, where she was supervised by IOW biogeochemist and deputy head of section Prof. Dr. Michael E. Böttcher.
The influence of massive saltwater intrusions, such as the last one in 2019 during the storm surge of “Zeentje,” on the biogeochemistry of coastal Hütelmoor—this was the topic of the bachelor thesis of geologist Denise Otto, who has now been awarded with the Otto Krümmel Prize. (Image credit: Hans Burchard / IOW)
"The bachelor's degree still receives little attention, especially in the natural sciences, and is often seen as a steppingstone to a master's degree," says Dr. Peter Gimpel, Chairman of the Society for the Promotion of GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel e.V. "However, the students have already acquired a solid basic knowledge and had to show in their final thesis that they are able to work scientifically.” The prize-winning theses often indicate particularly talented and qualified students early on. The Otto Krümmel Sponsorship Award is intended to honor them in a special way, said Gimpel.
"The award is a wonderful confirmation for young scientists,” says GEOMAR Director Professor Dr Katja Matthes. "To experience how relevant one's own research can be is a great motivation for one's further scientific career.” That is why she is particularly pleased that from this year on the prize will be awarded during the GEOMAR Science Day, which will give the prize and the award winners more attention.
Professor Dr. Michael Böttcher (2nd from right) from the Institute for Baltic Sea Research Warnemünde (IOW) accepted the Otto Krümmel Award on behalf of Denise Otto, who was unable to attend for health reasons. Professor Dr. Hermann Bange (I.) and Dr. Katja Matthes congratulate. (Image credit: Ilka Thomson / GEOMAR)
"I am very pleased that Ms. Otto is receiving this award, as she has worked with great motivation and commitment," says Michael Ernst Böttcher, Denise Otto's supervisor at IOW and also Professor of Marine Geochemistry at the University of Greifswald. "Her work is a valuable contribution to the DFG Research Training Group Baltic TRANSCOAST at the University of Rostock, which is carrying out fundamental research on material flows in renaturalized peatlands under the influence of seawater". The results will help to better assess the future development of ecosystems at the transition from land to sea under conditions of rising sea levels, Böttcher added. "I wish Denise every success in her further studies in marine geosciences, which she will continue at the University of Bremen," Böttcher concluded.
