We were honored to host Prof. Shinichi Sunagawa from ETH Zürich for a special seminar titled “Structure, Function and Discovery Potential of Microbiomes in the Ocean and Coral Reefs” at the Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute. The event drew a large audience of researchers and students from both within and outside the institute, creating an energetic and engaging atmosphere.

Prof. Sunagawa is internationally renowned as a core member of the Tara Oceans project, a global initiative to explore microbial diversity and ecosystem functions in the world’s oceans. In his lecture, he presented groundbreaking findings demonstrating that seawater temperature is a primary factor structuring microbial communities in the epipelagic zone. He also highlighted how genome-resolved metagenomic analyses are accelerating the discovery of novel microbial taxa, enzymes, and bioactive compounds. Using coral reefs as a case study, he emphasized the importance of understanding the interconnected microbial networks spanning benthic, pelagic, and atmospheric environments, especially in the face of climate-driven threats to marine biodiversity.

A lively Q&A session followed the lecture, offering participants a chance to reflect on the profound, often invisible, role that microbes play in shaping global ecosystems and climate. The seminar provided an exciting and intellectually stimulating opportunity to engage directly with cutting-edge microbial oceanography.

We sincerely thank Prof. Sunagawa and everyone who participated in this inspiring event.