Dr. Peter Feldens

I study the seafloor and shallow seabed using hydroacoustic and geological methods. My work focuses on how natural and human processes shape marine habitats and how these changes can be detected and monitored using acoustic remote sensing methods. These methods can be applied on vessels of various sizes, including battery-powered inflatable boats to large research ships.

In this context, I am developing improved methods for mapping and classifying seabed habitats. This includes analyzing the multifrequency backscatter from multibeam echo sounders and side-scan sonars, sediment classification, and the use of deep learning for the automated detection of geological and biological features in acoustic data. Currently, I am interested in the physical impacts of bottom trawling on sedimentary systems in the Baltic Sea. Using repeated high-resolution surveys, neural networks for detecting trawl tracks, and sediment core analyses, I quantify how trawl fishing alters the morphology, sediment dynamics, and carbon cycles of the seafloor. In the field of paleogeography, I combine seismic stratigraphy with sedimentological data to reconstruct the Late Pleistocene and Holocene evolution of marginal seas, particularly the Baltic Sea.

My current research is part of several collaborative projects at the IOW. In the SEASCAPE project, we are investigating submerged Stone Age landscapes in the western Baltic Sea. In the MGF and KOFI projects, we are mapping the distribution and regeneration of trawl tracks in the Baltic Sea basins and developing AI-supported monitoring methods. In the KOMSO project, we are using deep learning approaches to detect methane in the shallow seabed of the German Baltic Sea from sediment echo sounder data and to develop initial monitoring strategies. Beyond the Baltic Sea, I have conducted research in various marine regions in the past, including the Red Sea, the Agadir Canyon (Northwest Africa), Patagonian fjords, the Andaman Sea, and the Canary Islands.