Professor Martin Visbeck is Head of the Research Unit ‘Physical Oceanography at GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Germany. Research interests of Martin Visbeck and his group revolve around the ocean role in the climate system with an emphasis on understanding climate change and climate variability. As the speaker of the German Excellence Initiative ‘The Future Ocean’ in Kiel, he is involved in integrated marine sciences bringing together different disciplines to work on marine issues. More recently, he has been heavily engaged in the sustainable development of the ocean. Prof. Visbeck is a member of the Leadership Council of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) as well as a member of the Joint Scientific Committee of the World Climate Research Programme.