News

How does the North Sea bind, cycle and store carbon dioxide (CO2) in form of particulate organic matter on the seafloor, and how are human activities and climate change affecting this ecosystem service. These are the key questions, researchers want to address in the BMBF-funded project APOC in the coming three years.

AWI Director Antje Boetius has been elected as one of eight new foreign scientists to the Royal Swedish Academy of Science. Being elected a member of the Academy constitutes recognition of successful achievements. These could be prominent research in mathematics, natural science, engineering, social science or humanities. Antje Boetius is a member of the Class of Biosciences. The Academy has around 460 Swedish and 175 foreign members. Further information.  

The sea ice extent in the Arctic Ocean reached its annual minimum of 4.81 million square kilometres on 12 September 2021. As such, the 2021 Arctic sea-ice minimum comes in at 12th place on the negative list for absolute values. Sea ice extent in September is one of the strongest signs of climate change, experts pointed out in the recently published 6th Assessment Report of Working Group I of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. It has declined by about 40 per cent over the last four decades.

With this core question, the SILBERSALZ festival in Halle starts on September 15, uniting science and media through a combination of entertainment and conference program. As part of this diverse program, AWI Director Antje Boetius will be on site on both September 17 and 18 to discuss the topics of art and science as well as science communication. All events of the festival are free of charge. Program and further information

On September 26th, 2019, Marcel Nicolaus, marine physicist at the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI), placed an ice buoy on a floe during the passage of the Polarstern to the Central Arctic. It was the first buoy to be sent off during the MOSAiC expedition. It was part of the "Distributed Network," a large buoy network that drifted around Polarstern at distances of up to 50 kilometers and continuously and precisely monitored this area. For almost two years, the buoy was on its way until its journey now ended…

Today, the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) is presenting a report on the recarbonization of global soils at the plenary session of the Global Soil Partnership. Around 400 authors from 54 countries have contributed to the report, and a 40-member panel of experts has reviewed the contributions. Experts from the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) in Potsdam contribute with a factsheet on permafrost soils.

On Sunday, 5 September 2021, from 2:00 pm there will be a symposium on German-French cooperation in polar research and the arts, held at the University of the Arts Bremen, Speicher XI. Prior to the evening performance of Ludwig von Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 “Pastorale” at the BLG Forum, as part of the Music Festival Bremen science and the arts will celebrate the frigid worlds of the poles in a joint event, streamed online.

Dr. Jan Nitzbon, scientist at the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) was awarded the 2020 Wladimir Köppen Prize for his doctoral thesis, which represents a valuable contribution toward refining simulations of permafrost development: in it, he demonstrates the importance of small-scale landscape characteristics, since they influence the amount of greenhouse gases released as a result of thawing. In the future, his findings could help provide a more realistic picture of permafrost thawing.

The European Forum Alpbach (EFA) is a platform that aims to drive ideas for an empowered and democratic Europe. Under this year's theme "The Great Transformation", numerous seminars, panels and lectures will take place until 03 September, addressing, among others, the question "Can the climate crisis be an opportunity to rethink Europe?". For this, AWI Director Antje Boetius will be present at the plenary session "Microbiology and Environmental Change". Further information

Developing innovative and socially accepted approaches to improve the natural potential for carbon storage in vegetation-rich coastal ecosystems: that is the goal of the new research consortium sea4soCiety, coordinated by the Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT) in Bremen.The consortium consists of 40 scientists from nine northern German universities and research institutes, including the Alfred Wegener Institute. Germany’s Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) is funding the consortium with 5.3 million euros as part of the first…