This year, the IOW was the main organizer of the 23rd Coastal Summer School which took place on Hiddensee Island (Germany) from 12 until 22 September 2026. The summer school was organized together with the Alfred-Wegener-Institute, Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research (AWI), and the Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon (Geesthacht, Germany). The topic of the summer school was 'Environmental monitoring-a powerful tool for sustainable management of our seas'.

The seafloor is habitat, carbon sink and a hub for global matter cycles, yet human influence nowadays reaches from the coast all the way to the deep sea. Fishing, mining, shipping and infrastructure threaten ecosystems, stir up sediments and mobilise stored carbon. With a new chapter on seafloor integrity – compiled by researchers from the IOW, Kiel University (CAU) and the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) – the Planetary Health Check 2026 for the first time focuses comprehensively on the threats to the seafloor and its significance for the Earth system.