On September 28, 2016, science ministers from 22 countries across the globe will gather in Washington, DC, for the first-ever White House Arctic Science Ministerial.
Prof. Dr. Karin Lochte, the director of the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI), is part of the German delegation. Germany assumes the lead in two international projects on long-term data acquisition and improved data exchange. State Secretary Dr. Georg Schütte from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research announced, that the "Year of Polar Prediction" will be managed by the AWI, in which twelve countries are involved so far. In the frame of this project the data basis of the Arctic shall be substantially improved by a two years programme of intensive measurements in the whole area.
Another German contribution to Arctic research is the MOSAiC project also lead by AWI scientists: One year of continious measurements inside, above, and underneath the Arctic sea ice. The research icebreaker Polarstern will play a central role here: It is going to freeze in the sea ice in autumn 2019 and drift with it for an entire year.
You can find further information on the White House Arctic Science Ministerial here...