Heroimage Institut Fuer Umweltchemie Des Kuestenraumes
Helmholtz Research Field: Earth and Environment

Institute of Coastal Environmental Chemistry

The scientists at the Institute of Coastal Environmental Chemistry identify novel and known pollutants, their sources, transport pathways via the coasts, and their dispersal into the marine and polar environments. The Institute possesses a unique chemical-analytical infrastructure. This infrastructure enables us to process a comprehensive spectrum of several hundred classic and novel organic pollutants. Furthermore, we carry out analyses of numerous elements, stable isotopes and radionuclides as well as microplastics and nanomaterials. Additionally, the Institute has at its disposal complex methods for chemical modeling with which the behavior and fate of pollutants in the coastal regions can be studied and evaluated. The Institute of Coastal Environmental Chemistry consists of the following departments: Inorganic Environmental Chemistry, Organic Environmental Chemistry, Environmental Radiochemistry, Chemistry Transport Modeling, and Logistics and Organization.

Transfer Transfer

Coastal Pollution Toolbox


The Coastal Pollution Toolbox is a digital working environment and tool set to study contaminant, nutrient and carbon dynamics in polar and temperate coastal zones. read more

Press Release

Plastic Web Quiz and more

Hereon and international partners help to distinguish myths from solid evidence around the issue of plastic in the environment

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PFAS explorer PFAS explorer

Information platform on PFAS


The Hereon Institute of Coastal Environmental Chemistry creates a new digital platform about PFAS pollution for both interested readers and scientists. read more