CHESS- the bilateral German-Chinese cooperation program on marine science

Caption: Wenyan Zang

Co-funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the German Research Foundation from 2020 to 2024, the project is led by Prof. Chen Xue'en from the Ocean University of China and Prof. Corinna Schrum and Dr. Zhang Wenyan from the Helmholtz Institute for Coastal Systems (HEREON), Germany. The workshop in Qingdao, the first offline event, marked the eleventh German-Chinese marine science workshop since 2011.

Seven scientists from the Helmholtz Institute for Coastal Systems (HEREON) in Germany participated in the event, collaborating with over 20 scientists from Chinese universities and research institutes. Professor Chen Xianyao, Director of the Sino-German Research Center for Marine Science, delivered a welcome address, emphasizing the historical development of German-Chinese collaboration and proposing future cooperation ideas. The symposium included 21 academic presentations and visits to the Shijitan Sea Ranch and marine research institutes in Qingdao.

The CHESS project aims to understand marine ecosystem dynamics and responses to climate change by comparing nearshore and shelf systems in China and Europe. Focusing on four marine shelf systems, including the North and Baltic Seas in Germany, and the Yellow Sea and Bohai Sea in China, the project examines variations in atmospheric influences and their impact on primary productivity, ecosystem structure, benthic response to organic enrichment, and anthropogenic influences on ecosystem function. Chinese and German scientists hope CHESS will enhance collaboration in marine research.