News

Yesterday evening, the research vessel Polarstern set off from Cape Town for a special region: Two expeditions in East Antarctica will focus on the history of the instability of the ice sheet there and its interactions with ocean circulation. On the first leg, which will last around two months and be led by GEOMAR, the main focus will be on oceanographic, geoscientific and biological work; the second leg will be led by Kiel University and will have a geoscientific focus, with researchers from the Alfred Wegener Institute involved in both expeditions. The…

The Collaborative Research Centre “Arctic Amplification: Climate Relevant Atmospheric and Surface Processes and Feedback Mechanism (AC)³”, which is headed by meteorologist Professor Manfred Wendisch from Leipzig University, is to enter its third funding phase. This was announced today (24 November 2023) by the German Research Foundation (DFG). From January 2024, the research network, which also includes the Universities of Bremen and Cologne, the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) and the Leibniz Institute for…

As part of the ongoing cooperation, the AWI and the Netherlands Polar Program held a joint Arctic workshop at AWI Bremerhaven on November 16th. The aim of this workshop was to identify and discuss ongoing and potential scientific collaborations between Dutch and AWI scientists in the Arctic. About 30 scientists from ten different Dutch research institutions attended the meeting and discussed with AWI scientists collaborative projects in this region.

“Two degrees is too high”. The State of the Cryosphere report 2023 has been released, presenting findings on the impacts of 2°C global warming with a focus on the ice and permafrost regions of our planet. The report aims to reach politicians and policymakers for the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference. The message: Limiting global warming to 2°C is not enough. Multiple AWI scientists contributed to the report which was published on November 16 by the International Cryosphere Climate Initiative (ICCI). To the report.

Dwindling beaches on the Tunisian island of Djerba are the focus of a week-long workshop taking place at the Alfred Wegener Institute on Helgoland from 14 November. As part of the "Oceanographic and Ecological Data for Nature-based coastal protection" (ORIENTATE) project jointly applied for with the Tunisian University of Sfax, 15 students and representatives of youth and tourism organisations from Tunisia will meet with their German colleagues. They are exchanging scientific methods and discussing solutions that work with nature and not against it in…

Invasive species like the Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis), introduced roughly 100 years ago, pose a threat to native ecosystems and can do enormous ecological and economic harm. In its latest report, released just a few weeks ago, the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) once again highlighted the lack of internationally coordinated strategies to combat invasive species. The Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) and Dresden University of Technology (TUD), together with partners from Belgium, France…

As part of the Berlin Science Week, the German Arctic Office at the AWI and the Norwegian Embassy in Berlin have organized a seminar on 9 November in Potsdam to provide insights into the current German-Norwegian scientific cooperation in Arctic research. The results from recent Arctic expeditions and plans for future exploration were presented and discussed. Among the presenting institutions were the Norwegian Polar Institute, The Arctic University of Norway, the Fridtjof Nansen Institute and the AWI.

In the context of the “One Planet - Polar Summit”, taking place on 8-10 November in Paris, France and hosted by the Paris Peace Forum, UNESCO announced the endorsement of a new major programme aimed at better understanding, protecting and sustainably managing the Southern Ocean and Antarctica in the framework of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development 2021-2030 (‘Ocean Decade’).

Mechanical cleaning devices: A remedy for marine plastic pollution or a danger to marine life? This is the question addressed in a new paper by an international group of scientists published in the journal One Earth. Lead author is AWI biologist Melanie Bergmann. The Article shows that plastic removal technologies can cause harm and cannot provide a solution to global plastic pollution. Instead, the international focus needs to be on preventing plastic pollution. To the original press release.

The One Planet - Polar Summit will take place in Paris from November 8 to 10. The Summit is a scientific forum for the protection of polar regions and glaciers, bringing together the international scientific community. During the three-day event, experts will discuss and seek solutions for the preservation of the Arctic and Antarctic. The Summit will be streamed live on the Internet. Further information​​​​​​​