Northwest Africa and Southeast Australia are regions which are particularly vulnerable to climate change. In her thesis, Raquel Lopes dos Santos of the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, investigate organic compounds in marine sediment cores, in order to reconstruct past environmental conditions in these areas. She found that vegetation changes were large and abrupt over the past 150,000 years in these regions and were caused by climate change as well as indirectly by humans. Lopes dos Santos will defend her thesis at the Utrecht University, on 17 December, 2012.

As of 1 January 2013, Dr. Katja Philippart (NIOZ-MEE) is appointed as the new board member 'Ecology' at the Waddenacademie-KNAW. Katja will replace prof. dr. Peter Herman, who held this position until 1 September 2012. Following the appointment by the Royal Academy of Sciences (KNAW) , the board will gain a plenary status again.

Marine biodiversity research and its role in supporting maritime policies and management is the subject of new Future Science Brief from the European Marine Board, entitled: “Marine Biodiversity: A Science Roadmap for Europe.”

Scientists at the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ) and the University of Amsterdam (UvA) are going to try to find and win previously unknown micro-organisms from the sea. These micro-organisms may subsequently be used for the development of new medicine, biofuel or other applications.