BREAKING THE SURFACE. Women in Marine Research

Female researchers have always made groundbreaking contributions to the discovery of the oceans—often against resistance. Without their drive, combined with enormous dedication, knowledge, personal curiosity, and experience, our understanding of the oceans would be far less today. The exhibition Breaking the Surface. Women in Marine Research at the International Maritime Museum Hamburg (IMMH) focuses on contemporary female scientists in marine research, their careers, research findings, and experiences.

In a discipline that has long remained a male domain, women’s biographies are made visible: large-format portrait photos, handwritten notes, and impressions of their working environment paint a picture of their individual personalities and of modern oceanography in general.

The exhibition is organized by the Center for Earth System Research and Sustainability (CEN) at the University of Hamburg and the IMMH. The photographs were taken by photographer Marzena Skubatz. Breaking the Surface is an initiative of the University of Hamburg and the International Maritime Museum Hamburg, supported by the German Alliance for Marine Research (DAM) and the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.