My primary research interest is the interconnectedness between marine biology and climate. The goal is to better understand how the physical and chemical ocean environment affects marine biota and biogenic induced carbon fluxes. An additional research focus is to assess the strength of biological climate feedback mechanisms.

I am developing and applying global biogeochemical models to study

• biogeochemistry of the Mediterreanean Sea over the last 21000 years with special focus on saporel formation
• oceanic nutrient cycles with special emphasis on nitrogen (more)
• production of biogenic climate relevant gases, e.g. dimethylsulfide (DMS), and their future predictions (more)
• variations of marine biology in present, past and future ocean introduced by natural and anthropogenic impacts

2021

• Liu, B., Six, K.D. & Ilyina, T. Incorporating the stable carbon isotope 13C in the ocean biogeochemical component of the Max Planck Institute Earth System Model Biogeosciences, 18, 4389–4429, doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-4389-2021
• Liu, F., Mikolajewicz, U. & Six, K.D. Drivers of the decadal variability of the North Ionian Gyre upper layer circulation during 1910–2010: a regional modelling study. Clim Dyn (2021). doi.org/10.1007/s00382-021-05714-y

2020

2019

• Mauritsen, T., Bader, J., Becker, T., Behrens, J., Bittner, M., Brokopf, R., Brovkin, V., Claussen, M., Crueger, T., Esch, M., Fast, I., Fiedler, S., Popke, D., Gayler, V., Giorgetta, M., Goll, D., Haak, H., Hagemann, S., Hedemann, C., Hohenegger, C., Ilyina, T., Jahns, T., Jimenez Cuesta de la Otero, D., Jungclaus, J., Kleinen, T., Kloster, S., Kracher, D., Kinne, S., Kleberg, D., Lasslop, G., Kornblueh, L., Marotzke, J., Matei, D., Meraner, K., Mikolajewicz, U., Modali, K., Möbis, B., Müller, W., Nabel, J., Nam, C., Notz, D., Nyawira, S., Paulsen, H., Peters, K., Pincus, R., Pohlmann, H., Pongratz, J., Popp, M., Raddatz, T., Rast, S., Redler, R., Reick, C., Rohrschneider, T., Schemann, V., Schmidt, H., Schnur, R., Schulzweida, U., Six, K., Stein, L., Stemmler, I., Stevens, B., von Storch, J., Tian, F., Voigt, A., de Vrese, P., Wieners, K.-H., Wilkenskjeld, S., Roeckner, E. & Winkler, A. (2019). Developments in the MPI-M Earth System Model version 1.2 (MPI-ESM1.2) and its response to increasing CO2. Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems, 11, 998-1038. doi:10.1029/2018MS001400

2018

• Paulsen, H., Ilyina, T., Jungclaus, J. H., Six, K. D., and Stemmler, I. (2018): Light absorption by marine cyanobacteria affects tropical climate mean state and variability, Earth Syst. Dynam., 9, 1283-1300, doi.org/10.5194/esd-9-1283-2018

• Mikolajewicz, U., Ziemen, F., Cioni, G., Claussen, M., Fraedrich, K., Heidkamp, M., Hohenegger, C., Jimenez de la Cuesta, D., Kapsch, M.-L., Lemburg, A., Mauritsen, T., Meraner, K., Röber, N., Schmidt, H., Six, K. D., Stemmler, I., Tamarin-Brodsky, T., Winkler, A., Zhu, X., and Stevens, B. (2018): The climate of a retrograde rotating Earth, Earth Syst. Dynam., 9, 1191-1215, doi.org/10.5194/esd-9-1191-2018.

• Pätsch, J. , Kühn, W., and Six,K.D.: Interannual sedimentary effluxes of alkalinity in the southern North Sea: model results compared with summer observations, Biogeosciences, doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-3293-2018

• Landschützer, P., Gruber, N., Bakker, D., Stemmler, I. & Six, K.D. (2018). Strengthening seasonal marine CO2 variations due to increasing atmospheric CO2. Nature Climate Change , doi:10.1038/s41558-017-0057-x

2017

• J.Schwinger, J. Tjiputra, N. Goris, K. Six, A. Kirkevåg, Ø. Seland, C. Heinze, and T. Ilyina, Amplification of global warming through pH-dependence of DMS-production simulated with a fully coupled Earth system model, Biogeosciences, doi:10.5194/bg-14-3633-2017

• Paulsen, H., T. Ilyina., K. D. Six., and I. Stemmler, Incorporating a prognostic representation of marine nitrogen fixers into the global ocean biogeochemical model HAMOCC, J. Adv. Model. Earth Syst., DOI: 10.1002/2016MS000737

2016

• Grimm,R., D. Notz, R.N. Glud, S. Rysgaard, and K.D. Six: Assessment of the sea-ice carbon pump: Insights from a three-dimensional ocean-sea-ice-biogeochemical model (MPIOM/HAMOCC). Elementa, doi:10.12952/journal.elementa.000136

2014

• Hoffman, F.M., J.T. Randerson, V.K. Arora, Q. Bao, P. Cadule, D. Ji, C.D. Jones, M. Kawamiya, S. Khatiwala, K. Lindsay, A. Obata, E. Shevliakova, K.D. Six, J.F. Tjiputra, E.M. Volodin, and T. Wu Causes and implications of persistent atmospheric carbon dioxide biases in Earth System Models. Journal of Geophysical Research-Biogeosciences, 119, 141-162, DOI: 10.1002/2013JG002381

• Steiner, N. S., J. R. Christian, K. D. Six, A. Yamamoto, and M. Yamamoto-Kawai, Future ocean acidification in the Canada Basin and surrounding Arctic Ocean from CMIP5 earth system models, J. Geophys. Res. Oceans, 119, 332–347, doi:10.1002/2013JC009069

2013

• Six K.D., Kloster S., Ilyina T., Archer S.D., Zhang.K, Maier-Reimer,E., Global warming amplified by reduced sulphur fluxes as a result of ocean acidification. Nature Climate Change, doi:10.1038/nclimate1981

• Giorgetta M.A., Jungclaus J., Reick C.H., Legutke S., Bader J., Böttinger J., Brovkin B., Crueger T., Esch M., Fieg K., Glushak K., Gayler V., Haak H., Hollweg H.D., Ilyina T., Kinne S., Kornblueh L., Matei D., Mauritsen T., Mikolajewicz U., Mueller W., Notz D., Pithan F., Raddatz T., Rast S., Redler R., Roeckner E., Schmidt H., Schnur R., Segschneider J., Six K.D., Stockhause M., Timmreck C., Wegner J., Widmann H., Wieners K.H., Claussen M., Marotzke J., Stevens B.: Climate and carbon cycle changes from 1850 to 2100 in MPI-ESM simulations for the coupled model intercomparison project phase 5. Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems, doi:10.1002/jame.20038

• Ilyina T., Six K.D., Segschneider J., Maier-Reimer E., Li H., Núñez-Riboni I.: Global ocean biogeochemistry model HAMOCC: Model architecture and performance as component of the MPI-Earth System Model in different CMIP5 experimental realizations. Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems, doi: 10.1029/2012MS000178

• Segschneider, J., Beitsch, A., Timmreck, C., Brovkin, V., Ilyina, T., Jungclaus, J., Lorenz, S. J., Six, K. D., and Zanchettin, D.: Impact of an extremely large magnitude volcanic eruption on the global climate and carbon cycle estimated from ensemble Earth System Model simulations, Biogeosciences, 10, 669-687, doi:10.5194/bg-10-669-2013.

2010

• J.H. Jungclaus et al. (24, incl K.Six) Climate and carbon-cycle variability over the last millennium. Climate of the Past, 6, 723-737

• Brovkin, V., S. Lorenz, J. Jungclaus, T. Raddatz, C. Reick, C. Timmreck, J. Segschneider, K. Six, 2010. Sensitivity of a coupled climate-carbon cycle model to large volcanic eruptions during the last millennium. Tellus B, 62 (5), 674-682

• Le Clainche, Y., A. Vezina, M. Levasseur, R. A. Cropp, J. R. Gunson, S. M. Vallina, M. Vogt, C. Lancelot, J. I. Allen, S. D. Archer, L. Bopp, C. Deal, S. Elliott, M. Jin, G. Malin, V. Schoemann, R. Simo, K. D. Six and J. Stefels: A first appraisal of prognostic ocean DMS models and prospects for their use in climate models. Global Biogeochemical Cycles 24, Art. No. GB3021, doi: 10.1029/2009GB003721

2007

• Kloster, S., K.D. Six, J. Feichter, E.Maier-Reimer, E. Roeckner, P. Wetzel, P. Stier, and M. Esch, Response of dimethylsulfide (DMS) in the ocean and atmosphere to global warming, Journal of Geophysical Research-Biogeosciences 112, Seq. No.: G03005 (2007). doi: 10.1029/2006JG000224

2006

• Six, K.D. and E. Maier-Reimer, What controls the oceanic dimethylsulfide (DMS) cycle? A modelling approach, Global Biogeochem.Cycles, 20 , doi:10.1029/2005GB002674

• Kloster, S., J. Feichter, E. Maier-Reimer, K. D. Six, P. Stier and P. Wetzel: DMS cycle in the marine ocean-atmosphere system – a global model study. Biogeosciences 3, 1, 29-51 (2006). doi: 1726-4189/bg/2006-3-29

2004

• Hoffmann, G.,M. Cuntz, C.Weber, P.Ciais, P. Friedlingstein, M. Heimann, J. Jouzel, J. Kaduk, E. Maier-Reimer, U. Seibt, and K. Six, A model of the Earth’s Dole effect, Global Biogeochem. Cycles, 18, doi:10.1029/2003GB002059

2000

• Hofmann, M.,D.A. Wolf-Gladrow, T. Takahashi, S.C. Sutherland, K.D. Six, and E.Maier-Reimer, Stable carbon isotope distribution of particulate organic matter in the ocean: a model study, Marine Chemistry, 72, 131 - 150

1998

• Stephens, B.B., Keeling, R.F., Heimann, M., Six, K.D., Murnane, R., Caldeira, K., Testing global ocean carbon cycle models using measurements of atmospheric O2 and CO2 concentration, Global Biogeochem. Cycles, 12, 2, 213-230

1996

• Six, K.D. and E. Maier-Reimer, Effects of Plankton Dynamics on Seasonal Carbon Fluxes in an Ocean General Circulation Model, Global Biogeochem. Cycles, 10, 4, 559-583, 1996.

• Erickson III,D.J., P.J. Rasch, P.P. Tans, P. Friedlingstein, P. Ciais, E. Maier- Reimer, K. Six, C.A. Fischer, and S. Walters, The seasonal cycle of atmoshperic CO2: A study based on the NCAR Community Climate Model (CCM2), J. Geophys. Res., 101, D10, 15079-15097, 1996.

• P.K. Quinn, K.J. Barrett, F.J. Dentener, F. Lipschultz, and K.D. Six, Estimation of the Air/Sea Exchange of Ammonia for the North Atlantic Basin Biogeochemistry, 35, 1, 275-304, 1996.

1993

• Kurz, K. D.(maiden name), and E. Maier-Reimer (1993), Iron fertilization of the austral ocean—The mpimet.mpg.de/typo3/alt_doc.php Model Assessment, Global Biogeochem. Cycles, 7(1), 229–244, doi:10.1029/92GB02910.

since August 2002 research scientist at MPI for Meteorology (part time)

1997 - 2002 parental leave

Post-doc

1996-1997 Institute of Oceanography, University of Hamburg 

1993-1996 MPI for Meteorology, Hamburg 

Ph.D. 

1993 in physical oceanography at the University of Hamburg