Olaf Dellwig

Dr. Olaf Dellwig is a geochemist at the Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research (IOW) in Rostock, Germany, within the Marine Geology section. His research focuses on trace metal behavior in aquatic systems under variable oxygen conditions, particularly redox-sensitive elements like manganese, molybdenum, uranium, and tungsten in anoxic basins (Baltic Sea, Black Sea) and coastal ecosystems.

• Education: PhD in Geochemistry (1996-1999) and Chemistry diploma (1989-1996) from Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg
• Career: Postdoc at ICBM (2000-2006), then at IOW (2006-2009), transitioning to permanent research position since 2009

Through ICP analytics and isotope geochemistry, he investigates metal cycling in water columns, sediments, and porewaters to reconstruct environmental history. His 2019 Earth-Science Reviews work established conceptual models for W-Mo redox behavior in sulfidic vs. hypoxic systems. Recent studies (2024) examine anthropogenic thallium forcing in the Baltic, submarine groundwater discharge impacts, and adverse outcome pathways in marine pollutants.

Key collaborations include projects on Baltic Sea hypoxia (2023), Wadden Sea biogeochemistry (2020s), and Black Sea paleoclimatology (2018-2020). His 2024 Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta study on stable tungsten isotopes reveals surface Earth processes, while 2025 work connects rare earth element patterns to land-ocean transitions. Dellwig's interdisciplinary approach combines chemical analysis, microbial ecology, and paleoenvironmental reconstruction across diverse marine settings.