mareXtreme
Transfer
Transfer of research and scientific insights to actors, decision and policy makers has been a central task in the mareXtreme research mission right from its launch in 2024. Actionable knowledge and adaptive behavior in case of natural hazards and extreme events are of crucial importance to society. For us, such transfer lowers vulnerability in coastal societies, enhances resilience and at the same time enables innovation that improve our wellbeing and promotes collaboration with business and industry. Within the four funded research projects on marine hazards, we translate scientific knowledge into the development of innovative sensors and warning mechanisms together with small and medium enterprises. The results are then utilized in decision making at administrative and policy level, but at the same time results are used for educational outreach to local communities or school children.
Our transfer approach follows four main avenues:
1
Transfer of (actionable) knowledge to all actors, based on mutual understanding and carried out in an open and inclusive manner, is a prerequisite to develop comprehensive and accepted solutions. mareXtreme has both governmental agencies and private sector players as partners in their projects to ensure a demand-driven scientific approach.
2
Policymakers require profound foresight knowledge to anticipate disaster management and transformation. Their decisions may then contribute to sustainable changes in policies, practices, and societal norms. In regular exchange formats with decision makers, such as parliamentary consultations and public events (exhibitions, fairs), we ensure the recommendations are received.
3
Education: Not only current coastal communities (and associated actors in e.g. disaster management), but also the next generations need to comprehend fundamental processes and measures in a changing world. In mareXtreme we hence provide both virtual reality approaches to enhance awareness and to lower vulnerability, use simple and research-based animations for awareness trainings and educational materials for different age groups.
4
Technology transfer provides the mechanisms that exploit the full value chain from a scientific idea, innovative solutions and successful implementation and co-development into a market-ready product together with small and medium enterprises. In the four collaborative projects of mareXtreme such co-design result in smart marine sensors that identify geological or biological hazards, either as part of a seafloor warning system or as testing kits for water quality after extreme events (algal blooms, nutrient deficit, etc.).
Examples of our transfer products:
Living Lab Wremen
What does it mean that the dangers posed by the sea are increasing and that we, as civil society, must work together to address these dangers? In a series of short explanatory videos for the general public, the responsible dike manager reports on the coastal situation at the Living Lab site in Wremen, explains the challenges, and describes the advantages of collaborating with the METAscales project.
Educational material for
school children
The Elbe simulation is a digital teaching tool developed as part of the "WeatherXtremes" educational materials. It was created collaboratively by researchers and teachers to integrate scientific research into classroom teaching in a clear and engaging way. WeatherXtreme offers well-founded and practical materials that empower students to understand complex relationships between weather, the environment, and society using this interactive tool. How does a drought affect water temperature, oxygen levels, salinity, and fish populations? And what are the differences compared to flooding?
Virtual-Reality-Material to train actors and the general public
Together with partner Technisches Hilfswerk, a federal agency specialized in providing technical and humanitarian assistance in areas of natural disasters, we have worked on a digital twin of a stretch along the dyked Elbe that is used in training some of the appx. 88.000 volunteer operatives working for THW.
Grand Tsunami Assessment: Kalamata
Our virtual reality application combines real-world data with scientifically grounded scenarios from the MULTI-MAREX project. Within a virtual environment specifically developed for participatory formats, complex risks are made tangible and interactively experienceable.
Stakeholders, decision-makers, and actors from civil society can experience the impacts of tsunamis and multi-cascading events in a realistic manner.
In this way, an immersive understanding of potential hazard situations is created — with the aim of strengthening risk awareness, supporting decision-making processes, and sustainably improving preparedness for emergency situations.
Grand Terrain Assessment: Santorini
The complex data landscape of the Hellenic Volcanic Arc often presents major challenges even for experts. With this virtual reality tool, these multi-layered datasets can be experienced immersively and intuitively understood for the first time. Hover above vast volcanic complexes or dive into fascinating hydrothermal fields — this application makes complex scientific data spatially tangible. The product also includes specially developed scenarios from the MULTI-MAREX project, tailored to different target groups and designed to support a more informed assessment and deeper understanding of regional risks.
Maria S. Merian 360
Adventure, work, and everyday life shape life aboard a modern research vessel. Scientific expeditions across the world’s oceans are only possible thanks to a well-coordinated team of diverse specialists who ensure the ship’s operations around the clock. In the immersive production Maria S. Merian 360, scientists and crew members provide insights into the work carried out during the mareXtreme mission and within the MULTI-MAREX joint project in the Aegean.
The premiere will take place on May 7, 2026, as part of the CINEMARE Film Festival in Kiel.
