Marine resource exploration

Source: BGR

The world oceans carry a significant potential of mineral and energy resources which is widely underexplored.
The sub-department Marine Resource Exploration of BGR aims to study this potential as well as possible consequences of marine resource exploitation. A wide spectrum of marine geophysical methods and sampling techniques is used for BGR’s marine research activities.

With own expeditions within frontier programs for energy resources BGR acquires geoscientific information along the continental margins worldwide to reconstruct the geological evolution selected regions and to subsequently estimate the presumable occurrence of hydrocarbons.
Moreover, BGR’s Marine Resource Exploration sub-department conducts practical marine mineral exploration in two license areas in the Pacific and Indian oceans, accompanied by environmental studies as a precaution for future sustainable deep sea mining activities.

Geological samples of the seabed Source: BGR

With expeditions in the North and Baltic seas the sub-department provides data to extend the geodatabase of the German coastal waters and contributes to projects dealing with the geopotential of the deeper structures of the North German Basin.
All projects of the sub-department Marine Resource Exploration consider possible environmental effects of the planned survey operations to guarantee the lowest possible environmental impact during all marine research activities.
The sub-department holds a substantial archive of marine geophysical data acquired over the last 40 years of ocean research.

Based on the expertise its stuff the Marine Resource Exploration of BGR advises the German government and industry in all questions related to marine geosciences and resources. BGR closely collaborates with international organisations like the International Seabed Authority (ISA) and member of the Integrated Ocean Discovery Program (IODP).