News

  • Markus Rex, expedition leader of MOSAiC on the Arctic Ocean sea ice during MOSAiC expedition.
    Press release

    AWI researcher Markus Rex receives 2025 NOMIS Award

    Climate researcher Prof. Dr. Markus Rex is one of three distinguished recipients of this year’s NOMIS Award for groundbreaking interdisciplinary research.
  • [Translate to English:] Polarstern-Winterexperiment
    Press release

    CO2 in the Southern Ocean

    Climate models suggest that climate change could reduce the Southern Ocean’s ability to absorb carbon dioxide (CO2). However, observational data actually shows that this ability has seen no significant decline in recent decades. In a recent study, researchers from the Alfred…
  • Banquisia diatom
    Online news

    Advancing Global Ocean Monitoring from Space

    A team from the Physical Oceanography Department at AWI has set up a consistent, long-term monitoring framework for phytoplankton groups.
  • Polarstern at MOSAiC ice floe
    Event

    Polarstern – Expedition into the Eternal Ice

    From 23 October 2025 to 3 May 2026, the exhibition “Polarstern – Expedition into the Eternal Ice” will be on display at KLIMA ARENA in Sinsheim. 
  • Rough sea in the Southern Ocean
    Online news

    Climate whiplash effects due to rapidly intensifying El Niño…

    A new study published in the journal Nature Communications, in which the Alfred Wegener Institute participated, reveals that the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is projected to undergo a dramatic transformation due to greenhouse warming.
  • [Translate to English:] Treibholz Artkis
    Press release

    Driftwood along Arctic coastlines

    AWI researchers establish a basis for systematically recording driftwood's ecological roles and better tracking any future changes. 

Short notices

  • AG Huntsman Award goes to Karen Wiltshire

    14. October 2025

    The A.G. Huntsman Medal is awarded annually by the Royal Society of Canada (RSC) in recognition of outstanding contributions to marine research. This year, Karen Wiltshire, former Vice Director of the AWI and Professor of Climate Sciences at the Trinity College Dublin, was honoured with the award for her scientific work. The award ceremony will take place on 15 October at Government House in Halifax. The distinguished lecture will begin at 10 a.m. in the Ford Auditorium of the Bedford Institute of Oceanography and will be broadcast live via Microsoft Teams. The lecture.

  • Panel discussion with, from left to right, Hanno Charisius (moderator), Eleonore Fröhlich, Daniel Pröfrock, Martin Wagner and Melanie Bergmann

    On the issue of microplastics in the body: Melanie Bergmann at WISSENSWERTE

    08. October 2025

    AWI marine biologist Melanie Bergmann participated in the WISSENSWERTE dialogue forum on 30 September as an expert on microplastics. In a panel discussion with other experts from the fields of toxicology, chemistry and medicine, she spoke about the potential effects of plastic particles on the human body and health. WISSENSWERTE is a German-language conference for science and journalism that takes place annually.

  • Inklupreneur Pledge for greater inclusion

    01. October 2025

    By signing the Inklupreneur Pledge, the Alfred Wegener Institute is setting an example for greater inclusion in the workplace. The initiative aims to create new career prospects for people with disabilities and to embed inclusive structures in the institute's corporate culture on a long-term basis. The collaboration started with a kick-off meeting with Inklupreneur on 23 September. More information.

  • Final Arctic PASSION symposium

    01. October 2025

    The final symposium of the EU project Arctic PASSION took place in Potsdam on Monday and Tuesday. This marks the conclusion of the project, which was coordinated by AWI researcher Michael Karcher over the past four and a half years. The programme featured lectures and panel discussions that combined scientific perspectives on Arctic environmental observation with the knowledge of indigenous communities. The symposium is followed by the project’s two-day General Assembly.

  • ExtremeWeatherCongress 2025

    ExtremWeatherCongress 2025

    23. September 2025

    The 15th ExtremeWeatherCongress will take place on 24 and 25 September at HafenCity University Hamburg. Leading experts from science, meteorology, climate research and the media will come together to discuss current developments related to extreme weather events, climate change and their consequences. The Alfred Wegener Institute will participate with several contributions, including lectures, a workshop and a live link to the research vessel “Polarstern”. The event will be broadcast live. More information.

  • Vortrag Johann Klages auf der ICP15

    Evolution of the Antarctic Ice Sheet from green- to icehouse

    04. September 2025

    At the 15th International Palaeoceanography Conference yesterday, Dr Johann Klages from the section Marine Geology at the Alfred Wegener Institute gave a plenary lecture on his research in the Antarctic. The invitation was in recognition of groundbreaking insights that have influenced the community for a long time - and is only possible once in a lifetime for scientists.

Portrait of Angelika Humbert Portrait of marine biologist Dr Bernadette Pogoda Portrait of Prof. Dr. Bettina Meyer Portrait of Christian Haas. Portrait of Prof. Dr. Gerrit Lohmann Portrait of Prof. Dr. Hans-Otto Pörtner Portrait Helge Goessling Portrait of AWI permafrost researcher Prof. Dr. Hugues Lantuit Portrait of Dr. Ingo Sasgen. Portrait Marcel Nicolaus Portrait of Dr. Nicole Biebow Portrait Olaf Eisen Portrait of Dr. Stefanie Arndt Portrait of Dr. Stefan Hain

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Focus

  • The icebreaking research vessel Poalrstern is home and shelter for the MOSAiC scientists and crew.

    5 years Welcome back MOSAiC

    It was the largest Arctic expedition in history: on 12 October 2020 our research vessel Polarstern returned after a year-long drift.
  • Neueisbildung im Weddellmeer

    UN Ocean Conference 2025

  • View across the ocean

    UN Decade of Ocean Science

  • Antarctic sea ice, Weddell Sea

    UN Agreement for the Protection of the Ocean