The research of the department is focused on the geological component of the ecosystem Baltic Sea, i.e. on the investigation of postglacial formation and transformation processes of the Baltic Sea basin and its sediments. Here, the interaction of horizontal and vertical matter fluxes, oceanographic conditions and sediment formation and diagenesis plays the key role. Studies on sediment sequences, their genetic interpretation and material balance are prerequisites to reveal trends in the development of the Baltic Sea ecosystem. Special interest is paid to the separation and quantification of natural and anthropogenic processes.

Complementary to various research projects, the department is responsible for a sedimentological and geochemical mapping programme within the German EEZ of the Baltic Sea in the frame of an administrative contract with the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency of Germany.