Heike Link

Dr. Heike Link serves as a Science Contact in the Department Maritime Systems at the University of Rostock's Faculty of Interdisciplinary Research. Her academic foundation includes a PhD through the Canadian Healthy Oceans Network (CHONe) 2008-2012 and postdoctoral work with BMBF's TRANSDRIFT project 2013-2014. Current research focuses on polar marine ecosystems with emphasis on benthic processes under climate change.

Her research interests center on marine benthic ecology in polar regions, specifically examining biodiversity-ecosystem function relationships, nutrient fluxes at sediment-water interfaces, and benthic-pelagic coupling in Arctic and Southern Ocean environments. She investigates how ice cover regimes and shelf disintegration impact ecosystem functioning through projects like BENToolsMaPs and WOBEC.

Analysis of her 15 most recent publications (2011-2022) reveals consistent focus on Antarctic and Arctic benthic communities, with methodological emphasis on oxygen uptake measurements, trait-based approaches, and multi-disciplinary expeditions like MALINA. Key themes include climate-driven changes in biodiversity patterns, ecosystem resilience under ice loss, and functional characterization of polar habitats.

She maintains active network affiliations including:

• Priority Program on Antarctic Research (DFG-SPP 1158)
• Association for Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS Germany Board)
• German Association for Polar Research (DGP)
• Scientific Committee for Antarctic Research (AnT-ERA)
• Alumni networks: Future Ocean Kiel, CHONe Canada, ArcticNet Canada

As Principal Investigator for major DFG projects (2014-2021), she led research on benthic ecosystem responses to ice shelf disintegration and ice cover regimes. Her work integrates field expeditions with laboratory analyses to assess polar ecosystem vulnerability, contributing to frameworks for observing environmental change impacts in polar oceans.