Hartmut Heinrich is a German marine geologist and climatologist. Heinrich was Head of the Marine Physics Department at the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH) in Hamburg until September 2017. He was actively involved in global Argo Ocean Observing Programme, environmental research and administration, and adaptation to climate change. In 1988 he described the suddenly occurring climate changes in the history of the Earth, which have since been named after him, Heinrich events.