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Arctic Ocean
The Arctic has a serious litter problem: in just ten years, the concentration of marine litter at a deep-sea station in the Arctic Ocean has risen 20-fold. This was recently reported in

(Photo: Alfred Wegener Institut) The research vessel Polarstern operates in the southern and arctic ocean. As an icebreaker RV Polarstern enables to enter ice covered polar areas and to conduct diving [...] research village (Kongsfjorden - West Spitsbergen). (Photo: Max Schwanitz) The northernmost permanent arctic research station of the AWI (AWIPEV Station - till 2005 Koldewey-Station) is located in the small [...] offers a wide range of muddy, sandy and rocky habitats with a wide variety of endemic underwater Arctic flora and fauna. The AWIPEV dive base is operated for about 6 month per year upon request by scientific

(Neumayer-Station III) Infrasound (Neumayer-Station III) Biology North Sea Arctic (Fram and Svalbard) Antarctic Oceanography Arctic Time series Antarctic time series Terrestrial time series Samoylov Bayelva [...] terrestrial ecosystems and therefore mankind, is exceedingly difficult. The study of atmospheric, open ocean, deep sea or even processes in shallow coastal waters require sustained long-term observations often [...] position in that its scientists jointly generate a particularly large set of time series, in the Arctic, Antarctic as well as the North Sea. These data are used in the context of AWI research programmes

this region, ocean currents from lower latitudes impact the sea water temperature, and the ocean is a heat storage affecting the local climate. Although Ny-Ålesund is situated in the high Arctic (78.9°N, 11 [...] Long Term Observations Surface Meteorology in the Arctic (AWIPEV Research Base in Ny-Ålesund, Spitsbergen) Ny-Ålesund from above. (Photo: Alfred Wegener Institut) Ny-Ålesund is located on a fjord at the [...] risen by 1.1° C per decade, while the strongest warming is observed during the winter season. The 'Arctic Amplification' of global warming is analysed under various aspects by measurements and model simulations

Radiation in the Arctic (AWIPEV Research Base in Ny-Ålesund, Spitsbergen) Pyranometer in Ny-Ålesund. (Photo: Alfred-Wegener-Institut) Ny-Ålesund is situated 78.9° N north of the arctic circle. During the [...] fundamental role in determining the thermal conditions and the circulation of the atmosphere and the ocean, shaping the main characteristics of the Earth's climate. The radiation budget components at the surface

Long-term observations in the Arctic and Southern Ocean Arctic Ocean The Arctic is an environment where global climate change is strongly manifested. The Arctic Amplification, represented by the atmospheric [...] atmospheric warming trend in the Arctic being about three times that of the global average, is also manifested in sea-ice and… Find out more Southern Ocean The oceans are key elements of the global climate [...] system, not at last due to their ability to extract and store heat and CO2 from the atmosphere. Polar oceans are of particular Find out more

Long-term observations in the Arctic Ocean Schematic of ocean circulation between the Arctic and neighbouring oceans: warm water paths (red), cold/fresh polar water paths (blue), regions of AWI focus in [...] circulation in the Eurasian Basin of the Arctic Ocean from the 1990s to the late 2000s ,OS Special Issue: Ice-Atmosphere-Ocean interactions in the Arctic Ocean during IPY: the Damocles project, 9 (1), [...] Fram Strait / West Spitsbergen Atlantic Water is the main oceanic source of heat, salt, and nutrients of the Arctic Ocean. It enters the Arctic Ocean through the Barents Sea or Fram Strait. In the eastern

Arctic Sea Ice
The sea-ice extent in the Arctic is nearing its annual minimum at the end of the melt season in September. Only circa 3.9 million square kilometres of the Arctic Ocean are covered by

The winter growth period for sea ice in the Arctic Ocean is now over, with levels at a record low. The winter ice extent on 21 March 2025 was lower than at any time since continuous satellite recording [...] cover is over a million square kilometres below the long-term average. As in February 2025, average Arctic sea ice cover remained at an all-time low for the entire month of March, equalling the previous low