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Ronald van Roeden discussed current research topics during his visit to Bremerhaven today. Participating in the meeting were (from left to right) Hylke Huibert Boerstra (Dutch Honorary Consul), Willemijn van der Toorn (Dutch Deputy Consul General), Dick van der Kroef (Director of the Dutch Arctic Programme, NWO), Ronald van Roeden (Dutch Ambassador), Karsten Wurr (Director of Administration, AWI), Nicole Biebow (Head of the International Cooperation Unit, AWI) and Uwe Nixdorf (Deputy Director and Head of Logistics, AWI).

Ultraviolet light from the sun has a critical influence on life in, and the chemistry of, our oceans. Consequently, these effects have to be reflected as accurately as possible in climate models, to deliver accurate forecasts. Experts from the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) and the Institute of Environmental Physics (IUP) at the University of Bremen have now succeeded in using readings taken by the TROPOMI sensor on board the satellite Sentinel-5P to calculate the diffusion of UV light in the oceans. The study, which was just released in the journal Fron…

At the beginning of February, an international expedition team set off for Antarctica to find Sir Ernest Shackleton's ship - the Endurance - which sank in the Weddell Sea in 1915. Three weeks after the start, the team was able to locate the previously lost wreck. Researchers from the Alfred Wegener Institute were also on board.

Yesterday, AWI Director Antje Boetius took part in a discussion with the German Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke and Academy President Gerald Haug (ETHZ) at the Leopoldina National Academy of Sciences. They spoke about measures to combat climate change and the contribution that science-based policy advice can make. Other Leopoldina members Katrin Böhning-Gaeser (SBiK-F) and Robert Schögl (MPI CEC) were also involved in the discussion.

As part of the conference "L'Europe et la Recherche", the Cité des Science et de l'Industrie in Paris is organising the interdisciplinary colloquium "Régions Polaires: Quels enjeux pour l'Europe?" ("Polar Regions: What are the Challenges for Europe?") from 11 to 12 March. There, AWI Director Antje Boetius will also give a lecture under the titel "International Polar Research in Times of Climate Change" on 11 March at 3.00pm. The event will be broadcasted via livestream in French and English.  Further information

AWI glaciologist Angelika Humbert works on icesheet modelling. Her studies have shown that the ice masses in Greenland and Antarctica are actually changing even faster and more dramatically than previous models have suggested. In her TEDx Talk, she explains the causes and consequences of these changes and provides exciting insights into her work. To the TEDx Talk

The Southern Ocean stores 40 percent of the carbon dioxide that we humans produce - more than any other ocean on Earth. Phytoplankton is one of the main reasons for that: The microorganisms take up CO2 during photosynthesis. But although the Southern Ocean is rich in nutrients that support their growth, there is little phytoplankton there. One reason for this is a lack of iron in the water. However, a recent study by the Alfred Wegener Institute, the University of Bremen and Bremerhaven in the journal Nature Communications Biology, now shows that…

As part of the UN Decade of Ocean Science, the fourth Ocean Decade Laboratory will take place from 9 to 11 March under the title "A Healthy and Resilient Ocean". Scientists, NGO and industry representatives and even artists will share their work and ideas for the future of the ocean. AWI Deputy Director Karen Wiltshire is co-hosting the online event. Together with Angelika Dummermuth, scientific coordinator of the marine stations at AWI, she is also a speaker during various sessions of the programme. Find out more

Rising temperatures, extreme weather events like heavy rain and storms – climate change is becoming more and more visible, and Germany is no exception. In this regard, every region faces its own unique challenges. With the course “klimafit”, the goal of the Helmholtz Climate Initiative REKLIM, the WWF Germany and the Universität Hamburg is to prepare citizens for the effects of climate change at their doorstep. As part of the National Climate Initiative, the course will receive 2.2 million euros of funding over three years. In March 2022, the next round…

Today, the 6th Assessment Report (AR6) of Working Group II of IPCC was published, addressing climate-change impacts, adaptation and vulnerability. The report stresses the interdependence of climate, nature and people. Consequently, it integrates knowledge from the natural, environmental, social and economic sciences more strongly than previous IPCC reports. One of the two coordinators of the AR6 report is Prof. Hans-Otto Pörtner from the Alfred Wegener Institute, and the two AWI biologists Prof. Dieter Piepenburg and Prof. Björn Rost were involved as…