September 29 2025

People of ICEBERG—Christa Marandino and Dennis Booge from GEOMAR

Throughout the ICEBERG project, we will introduce the people working on the project. In this personnel introduction, Christa Marandino and Dennis Booge from GEOMAR introduce themselves and shares what inspires them about ICEBERG.

Christa Marandino. Photo: Dennis Booge.

Christa Marandino

Hello Everyone! I am Christa Marandino and I am the co-lead of Work Package 1 (WP1) in ICEBERG. I am an American that moved to Germany in 2008 to work as a postdoctoral researcher at GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research in Kiel.

My background is on air-sea interactions, and while working at GEOMAR, I built a lab group investigating biogeochemical and physical processes in the marine environment, across the air-sea interface.

Our lab uses a variety of gas sensors, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, chemical ionization mass spectrometry, and infrared absorption, to measure a range of trace gases in the atmosphere and seawater (e.g. dimethylsulfide, isoprene, carbon dioxide), as well as other equipment to measure environmental characteristics, such as color dissolved organic matter (CDOM, fDOM).

We also perform direct gas flux measurements between the ocean and atmosphere using the eddy covariance technique (high frequency measurements of wind, platform motion, and gases, simultaneously).

A large part of my research interest stems from the interconnectedness of our environment. Small organisms in the ocean produce and consume gases that can influence global climate, weather, and air quality – small-scale influences large-scale, ocean influences atmosphere, and vice versa. The unperturbed balance of these processes is something that soon will no longer exist and we must understand what will become the new balance.

Within the ICEBERG project, my team investigates the types, extent, and environmental impacts of pollution in the European Arctic. Our main task is to perform incubation experiments on Arctic seawater to understand how different pollutants influence microbial processes and biogeochemistry in the surface ocean. We are mainly interested in climate-active trace gases that originate from microbial processes in the surface ocean and effect climate and air quality once emitted to the atmosphere.

"I find it inspirational to see how engaged community members are and how our findings can be useful to the people on the ground."

We plan for two sets of experiments, one set performed at GEOMAR with seawater collected in the Fram Strait, and one set performed on site in Akureyri, Iceland. We will test the effects of ship exhaust scrubber effluent, wastewater from Akureyri and a Polish research station on Svalbard, and gray/black water from different tourist vessels from Svalbard and Akureyri.

Part of the work of ICEBERG is to consult and respond to the communities at our field sites. I find it inspirational to see how engaged community members are and how our findings can be useful to the people on the ground. In addition, the shipping companies we work with are committed to reducing their environmental footprint and are eager to gain insight into their progress. I look forward to continuing our work with these committed individuals and hope that we can deliver helpful results living up to their expectations.

Dennis Booge. Photo: Christa Marandino.

Dennis Booge

I am Dennis Booge, working as a Postdoc in the lab of Christa Marandino at GEOMAR in Kiel, Germany. I studied Chemistry at the University of Kiel and gravitated towards marine chemistry pretty early, therefore doing my Bachelor and Master thesis already at GEOMAR before graduating in one of the leading institutes for marine sciences.

I was excited about the complexity in marine chemistry and interlinkages between chemistry, biology, and physics right away. Especially, the fact that today’s modern analytical systems are able to measure trace amounts of certain substances, or in my case biogenic trace gases, is still fascinating for me.

Within our research department Marine Biogeochemistry, I am mainly interested in the trace gas cycling of biogenic trace gases like isoprene or dimethyl sulfide, also known as DMS or “the smell of the ocean”.

However, trace gas cycling is not limited to the water phase, but also includes the exchange with the atmosphere as these gases are especially insoluble in water and tend to evaporate the marine atmosphere, where they rapidly undergo chemical reactions and finally influence the radiation budget of the earth by forming aerosols, which can absorb or scatter light. Understanding the cycling is crucial to predict future biogenic gas fluxes in a changing climate.

This changing climate also influenced my recent research to understand how pollutants behave in marine environments and especially influence the marine organisms, which produce trace gases like isoprene or DMS.

"Being part of ICEBERG is a privilege but also a challenge at the same time."

The Arctic, mostly known as an unperturbed system, is changing much faster than other ocean basins and is already influenced by pollution, which is supposed to increase in the near future. Arctic pollution is also our focus within the work package 1 (WP1) of the ICEBERG project, where we perform incubation experiments with Arctic waters in order to understand how e.g., waste water or grey water from ships influence the marine biota and the consequent trace gas production.

Being part of ICEBERG is a privilege but also a challenge at the same time. It is a privilege, because you work together with enthusiastic people trying to promote their individual research fields. It’s a challenge, because we are a very interdisciplinary team, from natural to social sciences and governance to ethics. Especially the collaboration with the local communities, who are the first ones experiencing Arctic pollution, is a major part in the ICEBERG project and I am very happy to be part of it!