Source: AAAS Eureka Alert
The microlayer between ocean and atmosphere is at the center of a new research group led by scientists from Oldenburg, Germany. Over the next four years, the team will study this unique environment where harsh conditions prevail.
The uppermost layer of the oceans is a very special but as yet little explored part of the planet. Less than a millimetre thick, this surface layer functions like a skin, regulating the exchange of gases, energy and momentum between the ocean and the atmosphere. To study the complex biological, chemical and physical interactions within this "sea-surface microlayer" is the goal of a new research group led by chemical oceanographer Prof. Dr. Oliver Wurl from the University of Oldenburg's Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment (ICBM) in Wilhelmshaven. The German Research Foundation (DFG) and the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) will provide up to 4,1 million euros in funding for the project over the next four years.