Current Projects
Sources and fate of plastic debris in the ocean
With The Ocean Cleanup, The Netherlands
Plastic waste accumulating in the global ocean is an increasingly threatening environmental issue. In this project, we investigate the transport and transformation processes of plastic debris in the ocean. Such knowledge is of paramount importance to assess the long-term risks of ocean plastic pollution for marine ecosystems, fisheries and food supply to humans, as well as to advance optimized mitigation strategies.
Peer-reviewed publications generated by this project thus far:
With The Ocean Cleanup, The Netherlands
Plastic waste accumulating in the global ocean is an increasingly threatening environmental issue. In this project, we investigate the transport and transformation processes of plastic debris in the ocean. Such knowledge is of paramount importance to assess the long-term risks of ocean plastic pollution for marine ecosystems, fisheries and food supply to humans, as well as to advance optimized mitigation strategies.
Peer-reviewed publications generated by this project thus far:
- Van Emmerik et al. (2018), Frontiers in Marine Science. Link
- Lebreton et al. (2019), Scientific Reports. Link
- Van Sebille et al. (2020), Environmental Research Letters. Link
- Egger et al. (2020), Scientific Reports. Link
- Egger et al. (2020), Environmental Research Letters. Link
- Egger et al. (2021), Frontiers in Marine Science. Link
- De Vries et al. (2021), Remote Sensing. Link
- Leone et al. (2022), Environmental Pollution. Link
Role of sediment oxygen consumption in the marine carbon cycle
With Aarhus University, University of Southern Denmark & the Alfred-Wegener-Institute (AWI)
The seabed is the largest reservoir of organic matter on Earth and is a main long-term sink for new biomass produced in the ocean. Deposition and subsequent burial of organic matter therefore plays a key role in the global marine carbon cycle. In this project, we are developing empirical algorithms that can be used to map the global distribution of oxygen uptake at the seafloor and determine the environmental controls on benthic oxygen and organic carbon turnover.
With Aarhus University, University of Southern Denmark & the Alfred-Wegener-Institute (AWI)
The seabed is the largest reservoir of organic matter on Earth and is a main long-term sink for new biomass produced in the ocean. Deposition and subsequent burial of organic matter therefore plays a key role in the global marine carbon cycle. In this project, we are developing empirical algorithms that can be used to map the global distribution of oxygen uptake at the seafloor and determine the environmental controls on benthic oxygen and organic carbon turnover.
Past Projects of Egger Matthias
Global production and removal of methane in the seabed
At Aarhus University, Denmark
Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas and plays an important role for climate on Earth. Anaerobic oxidation of methane with sulfate provides a globally important barrier for the vast amounts of methane produced in the subseafloor. In this project, we identified the key controls on methane removal with sulfate in marine sediments and provided a global map and budget for the production and removal of methane in the seabed.
Peer-reviewed publication generated by this project:
At Aarhus University, Denmark
Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas and plays an important role for climate on Earth. Anaerobic oxidation of methane with sulfate provides a globally important barrier for the vast amounts of methane produced in the subseafloor. In this project, we identified the key controls on methane removal with sulfate in marine sediments and provided a global map and budget for the production and removal of methane in the seabed.
Peer-reviewed publication generated by this project:
- Egger et al. (2018), Nature Geoscience. Link
Iron-mediated anaerobic oxidation of methane
At Utrecht University, The Netherlands
The biological conversion of methane in marine sediments, largely controlled by anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM), is a crucial part of the global carbon cycle. Our research revealed new insights into the role of iron oxides as an oxidant for AOM in marine sediments. Besides its role in mitigating methane emissions, iron-dependent AOM strongly impacts sedimentary iron cycling and related biogeochemical processes through the reduction of large quantities of iron oxides.
Peer-reviewed publications generated by this project:
At Utrecht University, The Netherlands
The biological conversion of methane in marine sediments, largely controlled by anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM), is a crucial part of the global carbon cycle. Our research revealed new insights into the role of iron oxides as an oxidant for AOM in marine sediments. Besides its role in mitigating methane emissions, iron-dependent AOM strongly impacts sedimentary iron cycling and related biogeochemical processes through the reduction of large quantities of iron oxides.
Peer-reviewed publications generated by this project:
Efficiency of the methane oxidation barrier in marine sediments
At Utrecht University, The Netherlands
Globally, the methane efflux from the ocean to the atmosphere is small, despite high rates of methane production in continental shelf and slope environments. This low efflux results from the biological removal of methane through anaerobic oxidation with sulfate in marine sediments. In some settings, however, porewater methane is found throughout the sulfate-bearing zone, indicating an apparently inefficient oxidation barrier for methane. In this project, we investigated the apparent limited capacity of sedimentary methane removal in marine Lake Grevelingen (the Netherlands).
Peer-reviewed publication generated by this project:
At Utrecht University, The Netherlands
Globally, the methane efflux from the ocean to the atmosphere is small, despite high rates of methane production in continental shelf and slope environments. This low efflux results from the biological removal of methane through anaerobic oxidation with sulfate in marine sediments. In some settings, however, porewater methane is found throughout the sulfate-bearing zone, indicating an apparently inefficient oxidation barrier for methane. In this project, we investigated the apparent limited capacity of sedimentary methane removal in marine Lake Grevelingen (the Netherlands).
Peer-reviewed publication generated by this project:
- Egger et al. (2016), Plos ONE. Link
Phosphorus burial in marine sediments
At Utrecht University, The Netherlands & Aarhus University, Denmark
Phosphorus (P) is an important nutrient controlling primary production in aquatic ecosystems. In this project, we studied the burial of phosphorus in sediments of the Black and Baltic Seas, as well as of the South China Sea. The findings of this research highlight the importance of reduced iron-phosphate minerals such as vivianite in the sedimentary burial of phosphorus.
Peer-reviewed publications generated by this project:
At Utrecht University, The Netherlands & Aarhus University, Denmark
Phosphorus (P) is an important nutrient controlling primary production in aquatic ecosystems. In this project, we studied the burial of phosphorus in sediments of the Black and Baltic Seas, as well as of the South China Sea. The findings of this research highlight the importance of reduced iron-phosphate minerals such as vivianite in the sedimentary burial of phosphorus.
Peer-reviewed publications generated by this project:
Ocean acidification in the Humboldt Current System
At ETH Zurich, Switzerland
The Humboldt Current System (HCS), located in the eastern South Pacific, is one of the most productive marine ecosystems in the world. It naturally exhibits lower surface pH due to the Ekman-driven coastal upwelling of CO2-rich subsurface waters. As a consequence, the HCS may be particularly vulnerable to anthropogenic ocean acidification. In this project, we used numerical simulations of the Regional Oceanic Modeling System (ROMS) coupled to an NPZD (nutrient - phytoplankton - zooplankton - detritus) -type biogeochemical model to study the progression of past and future ocean acidification in the HCS.
Publication generated by this project:
At ETH Zurich, Switzerland
The Humboldt Current System (HCS), located in the eastern South Pacific, is one of the most productive marine ecosystems in the world. It naturally exhibits lower surface pH due to the Ekman-driven coastal upwelling of CO2-rich subsurface waters. As a consequence, the HCS may be particularly vulnerable to anthropogenic ocean acidification. In this project, we used numerical simulations of the Regional Oceanic Modeling System (ROMS) coupled to an NPZD (nutrient - phytoplankton - zooplankton - detritus) -type biogeochemical model to study the progression of past and future ocean acidification in the HCS.
Publication generated by this project:
- Egger (2011), MSc thesis, ETH Zurich
