About IIM

The Institute of Marine Research (IIM-CSIC) is one of the main marine research centers in the Iberian Peninsula. Looking at the Atlantic from Vigo, a city with a strong connection with the sea, the IIM-CSIC faces the challenge of increasing our knowledge about the ocean, from its physical characteristics to the food we take from it and the processes that bind the whole system together.

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Research

Research is at the core of the Institute of Marine Research's work. Working along 3 Core Research Themes, which intertwine and connect to each other, the researchers and technicians at the IIM-CSIC look for answers within 9 different research lines.

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Innovation

While our research provides us with new knowledge about our sea and shores, at the Institute of Marine Research we are committed to go a step further, creating new collaborations with the industry and other economic activities, be they already 'established' industries, such as fisheries or aquaculture, or 'emerging' ones, such as ocean observation.

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Society

Science is not complete until it is shared with society. As a public research institution, the IIM understands that its commitment is with society, fostering a two-way relationship with its surrounding community and an open perspective on science.

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Work & Study

Marine scientists, lab technicians, biologists, chemists and engineers, but also economists, lawyers or communicators (both working and in training) contribute to the interdisciplinary nature of our center. With more than 200 employees, the IIM-CSIC is a large community of people who work together for the sake of science, knowledge and sustainability.

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News & Events

Do you want to be aware of the latest at the IIM? The Institute has a whole team involved in communication & outreach, sharing all news that arise and organizing events to reach all sectors of society: from other peers working in science to children in schools or our neighbors from Vigo.

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Organic Geochemistry Lab

Despite its abundance, its importance in biogeochemical cycles and its sensitivity to global change, our knowledge of the composition, molecular structure and reactivity of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in the oceans is still limited.

The foundational objective of the Organic Geochemistry Lab is to fill this  knowledge gap by isolating DOM, analyzing its elemental composition and its optical, isotopic and structural properties, and tracing its alteration through photochemical and microbial processes.

Geographically, we focus on the NW coast of the Iberian Peninsula as a model for land-ocean interactions, including coastal upwelling, and for different degrees of human alteration, as well as on the NE Atlantic as a open-ocean model system.

Methodologically, we combine observation, experimentation, and parametric and inverse modeling to unravel the connection between molecular and microbial diversity in an ocean that is experiencing major changes.

The Organic Geochemistry lab also focuses on assessing the regulation and provision of ecosystem services by the highly productive large inlets along the Galician coast, the “rías”, including the quantification of fertilization mechanisms other than coastal upwelling.

We focus on largely underexplored biogeochemical hotspots for carbon (e.g., seagrass meadows, permeable coastal sediments) to advance towards a mechanistic understanding of coastal functioning.

We also assess the risks associated with global and climate change and promote the implementation of adaptation measures to secure coastal and marine goods and services in the forthcoming decades. These include the sustainable exploitation of living resources in the “rías”, for which we closely collaborate with other research groups at the Institute of Marine Research, thereby contributing to an ecosystem approach to the extensive aquaculture activities and artisanal fisheries in the area.

 

12
staff
1.24 M
€
funding*
27
projects & contracts*
*data from the last 5 years
Research
Lines
Projects
Publications
  • Cristina, R.C.; Rebeca, M.F.; Marola, S.Y.; Xosé Antón, Á.S. (2022) Leaching and bioavailability of dissolved organic matter from petrol-based and biodegradable plastics Marine Environmental Research DOI:10.1016/j.marenvres.2022.105607
  • Overmans, S.; Duarte, C.M.; Sobrino, C.; Iuculano, F.; Álvarez-Salgado, X.A.; Agustí, S. (2022) Penetration of Ultraviolet-B Radiation in Oligotrophic Regions of the Oceans During the Malaspina 2010 Expedition Journal of Geophysical Research-Oceans DOI:10.1029/2021JC017654
  • Li, S.; Fang, J.; Zhu, X.; Spencer, R.G.M.; Álvarez -Salgado, X.A.; Deng, Y.; Huang, T.; Yang, H.; Huang, C. (2022) Properties of sediment dissolved organic matter respond to eutrophication and interact with bacterial communities in a plateau lake Environmental pollution (Barking, Essex : 1987) DOI:10.1016/j.envpol.2022.118996
  • Romera-Castillo, C.; Birnstiel, S.; Álvarez-Salgado, X.A.; Sebastián, M. (2022) Aged Plastic Leaching of Dissolved Organic Matter Is Two Orders of Magnitude Higher Than Virgin Plastic Leading to a Strong Uplift in Marine Microbial Activity FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE DOI:10.3389/fmars.2022.861557
  • Gómez-Letona, M.; Arístegui, J.; Hernández-Hernández, N.; Álvarez-Salgado, X.A.; Álvarez, M.; Delgadillo, E.; Pérez-Lorenzo, M.; Teira, E.; Hernández-León, S.; Sebastián, M. (2022) Deep ocean prokaryotes and fluorescent dissolved organic matter reflect the history of the water masses across the Atlantic Ocean Progress in Oceanography DOI:10.1016/j.pocean.2022.102819
Theses
  • TFM - Amparo Isabel Cid Iturbe (20/10/2022) A systematic quick scoping review: The state of knowledge regarding seagrass and seaweed restoration = Una revisión sistemática (quick scoping review) del estado del conocimiento en materia de restauración de fanerógamas marinas y algas UNIVERSIDAD DE MALAGA
  • TFM - Cristina Bernal Rodríguez (26/07/2022) Descargas de aguas subterráneas en la ría de Vigo: conectividad microbiana y biogeoquímica = Submarine groundwater discharge in the Ría de Vigo: microbial connectivity and biogeochemistry Universidade de Vigo (UVIGO)
  • TFM - Clara Marín Pérez (26/07/2022) Seasonal-specific responses of two ecotypes of Zostera marina based on plant traits, energetic reserves, and fatty acid composition Universidade de Vigo (UVIGO)
  • TFM - Elisa Calvo Martín (27/07/2020) Biogeochemistry of subterranean estuaries in the Ría de Vigo (NW Iberian Peninsula) UNIVERSIDAD DE VIGO
  • TFG - Pablo Alba González (18/06/2019) Efecto de los aportes de nutrientes por medio de las heces de aves y mamíferos marinos sobre los niveles tróficos inferiores Universidad de Vigo (UVigo)
Innovation
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Society

Team

Head of Group

PostDoc Researcher

PreDoc Researcher

Research Support Technicians

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