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Ice-sheet models are an essential tool in making predictions regarding the future of the Greenland and Antarctic Ice Sheets. Nevertheless, these models still have a number of weaknesses. In an international model comparison, 14 research groups fed their ice-sheet models the same atmospheric and ocean data, and calculated what additional amounts of sea-level rise Greenland and the Antarctic would contribute by the year 2100. For Greenland, the results are consistent: if greenhouse-gas emissions levels remain just as high, the island will eventually lose…

This summer the sea-ice cover on the Arctic Ocean shrank to the second-smallest extent since the beginning of satellite observation in 1979. By mid-September it covered only 3.8 million square kilometres, 0.5 million km² above the all-time low in 2012.   According to data from the University of Bremen, back then the extent was only 3.27 million square kilometres. There are a number of causes for the massive loss of ice this summer: firstly, during the previous winter, primarily thin sea ice was formed in Russia’s marginal seas, and soon melted again…

Yesterday, the Helmholtz project "Digital Earth" for integrated geo-research was awarded the special prize for "Digital Science" of the "Digital Leader Awards" in the "Society" category. The companies NTT and IDG Business Media, together with other business partners, award these prizes across all sectors to projects and teams that drive the digital transformation. The finalists in 2020 included companies such as Infineon, BMW and the Ergo Group, but also public authorities such as the Federal Employment Agency. However, the Helmholtz project is the first…

The Arctic is warming faster than any other region on the planet. As a result, permafrost that is thousands of years old is now being lost to erosion. As measurements gathered on the Lena River by AWI experts show, the scale of erosion is alarming: every year, roughly 15 metres of the riverbanks crumble away. In addition, the carbon stored in the permafrost could worsen the greenhouse effect. 

The Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) and its three Russian partners received an award in the category of top-level research for the QUARCCS project within the framework of the competition "Building Bridges for German-Russian Cooperation in Higher Education and Science", which was jointly announced by the Russian and German Foreign Ministries.

Island chains like Hawaii are situated above so-called hotspots, where hot magma flows upward continuously over long time periods. It has been much debated whether there are currently active hotspots in the South Atlantic. Geoscientists from AWI and MARUM have presented important evidence: It is now clear that one of these hotspots is located in the middle of the South Atlantic, near the island of Tristan da Cunha.

Preparation courses, team building and media training: the new overwinterer team for Neumayer Station III has been determined. At the moment, the "Üwis" are fully prepared for their overwintering before they go to Antarctica at the end of the year.

Boost your career in data sciences: researchers who have mastered methods such as machine learning, data mining or the use of neural networks are now extremely important for science. On 23 September, the Helmholtz Association is offering researchers the opportunity to gain an overview of data science positions and get to know future employers at the virtual Helmholtz Career Day.

Following a five-month mandatory delay due to the coronavirus pandemic, on August 30th the two German polar research aircraft Polar 5 and Polar 6 will launch from Svalbard to conduct their first aerial survey flights over the Arctic this year. The flights, which will extend far into the Central Arctic, will support the investigation of the atmosphere and sea ice, and supplement the MOSAiC expedition’s extensive research agenda. Core research priorities include cloud formation over the Arctic Ocean and the question as to whether the sea ice observed…

The Greenland Ice Sheet recorded a new record loss of mass in 2019. This was the finding of a team of international researchers after evaluating data from satellite observations and modelling data. The total loss amounted to 532 billion metric tons, more than in the previous record year 2012 (464 billion metric tons), which equates to an average global sea-level rise of 1.5 mm. After two years characterised by low loss of mass in 2017 and 2018, the ice sheet is now heading toward increasing mass losses. The five years with the greatest losses all…