Humboldt Tipping

In the Humboldt Tipping project, researchers from Germany and Peru are studying the Humboldt Current and its upwelling area on the Pacific coast of South America. The entire Humboldt Current System is a highly productive ecosystem. Around nine million tons of fish and other seafood are harvested here every year. The area is subject to great climatic fluctuations. For example, researchers observe an expansion of the characteristic changes in oxygen levels, which directly affect stakeholders such as the fishing population in Peru.

On the basis of various modelling approaches and in dialogue with different interest groups and decision-makers, the aim of the research is to examine possible adaptation options and to derive recommendations for management. These are designed to help reduce the risk of the impact of tipping points on the regional economy and increase the resilience of coastal communities in Peru. A consortium of scientists from the fields of biogeochemistry, fisheries ecology, oceanography, economics and social sciences from Germany and Peru, as well as representatives from local user groups, has come together for this purpose.