Max-Planck Institute for Chemistry | Germany
Jonathan Jung is a marine biogeochemist whose research explores how human activities reshape coastal and coral reef ecosystems through changes in nutrient cycling. His work centers on nitrogen and phosphorus dynamics, particularly how shifting nutrient regimes influence benthic communities and reef resilience in tropical marine environments. By integrating coral-bound stable isotope analyses with water column and sediment geochemistry, he reconstructs both seasonal variability and long-term trends in marine nutrient cycles. A defining aspect of his research is the comparison of contemporary reef conditions with historical ecological and evolutionary baselines, allowing for deeper insight into how modern disturbances diverge from natural variability. He has extensive experience leading and participating in open-ocean geochemical surveys and coral coring expeditions across the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, managing field logistics, permitting, and advanced sampling protocols. His research also extends into deep-time perspectives, examining the evolution of coral photosymbiosis to understand adaptive strategies that have enabled reef organisms to persist through past environmental change. Through interdisciplinary collaboration, rigorous fieldwork, and quantitative data analysis, his work aims to inform science-based conservation strategies and policy responses for vulnerable coastal ecosystems.