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About

Gerold Wefer is a pioneering marine geoscientist whose career has been defined by transforming how we access the deep seafloor. His central contribution lies in the development of the MeBo (Meeresboden-Bohrgerät), a remotely operated seafloor drill rig that revolutionized shallow-depth ocean drilling. Unlike traditional, costly drill ships, MeBo is deployed directly on the seabed from a research vessel, enabling cost-effective coring up to 80 meters into the seafloor. This innovation, detailed in his most-cited paper (2013, 69 citations), opened new frontiers for investigating gas hydrates, slope stability, oceanic crust alteration, ore formation, and paleoclimate. As the founding director of MARUM at the University of Bremen, Wefer spearheaded the engineering and scientific application of this technology. Over more than a decade of successful operations, MeBo has proven invaluable for retrieving high-quality sediment cores from remote and challenging environments. Wefer’s work has fundamentally shifted the paradigm for marine drilling, making deep-sea exploration more accessible, efficient, and scientifically prolific.