Melanie Bergmann

Dr. Melanie Bergmann is a marine biologist at the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI), specializing in microplastic pollution and marine litter. She leads research on plastic distribution in Arctic and global marine ecosystems, emphasizing interdisciplinary approaches and citizen science. Her work includes developing detection methods for microplastics and curating the LITTERBASE portal for public data accessibility. Bergmann advises international policy initiatives like the EU Mission Plastic-Free Ocean and contributes to the UN’s Global Plastics Treaty negotiations. She collaborates with global teams on expeditions aboard the research icebreaker Polarstern, focusing on long-term Arctic observatories like HAUSGARTEN. Her research highlights plastic’s transboundary transport, atmospheric deposition, and impacts on Arctic food webs.

Educational Background:

• PhD in Marine Biology

Research Interests:

• Microplastic dynamics in polar regions
• Marine litter transport mechanisms
• Human health implications of plastic pollution
• Global plastics governance frameworks

Key Projects:

• FRAM Pollution Observatory (Arctic pollution sinks)
• Plastic Burden Project (Arctic deep-sea microplastics)
• LITTERBASE data portal

Policy Contributions:

• EU Mission Plastic-Free Ocean advisory work (2018–present)
• GESAMP Atmospheric Microplastic Workgroup (2020)
• UNEP Plastic Treaty consultations

Labs/Teams: Leads the AWI’s Marine Biogeosciences group and collaborates with the Deep-Sea Ecology and Technology team. Oversees the new microplastic extraction lab in Bremerhaven.