Antarctic Office

The Antarctic not only offers a unique habitat for penguins and other cold-loving species; it is also an important “player” in the global Earth system. There, every year tremendous amounts of cold, saline- and oxygen-rich water sink to the depths of the Southern Ocean. This process is one of the motors that drive all the ocean currents on our planet, and which therefore also shape the global climate. In addition, the melting of the Antarctic ice sheets and shelves, intensified by climate change, has massive effects on the global sea level.

The Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) has pursued research in this key region since 1980, the year it was founded. The Institute uses the expertise it has acquired in the years since to build bridges between the scientific community, politics, government offices and the public: The AWI’s Antarctic Office provides sound answers to questions on all aspects of researching, preserving and sustainably using the region at the far south of our planet.

Support for researchers

In accordance with the Madrid Protocol to the Antarctic Treaty, any and all activities south of the 60th parallel require a permit – and scientific research is no exception. The Antarctic Office helps Germany-based researchers to file the requisite applications with the Federal Environment Agency, the German authority responsible for granting permits.

Participation at international conferences

For the past several years, the head of the Antarctic Office has participated in the annual meetings of the Antarctic Treaty states and the Madrid Protocol as a member of the German delegation. Further, when it comes to negotiations in connection with the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), which concern the international regulation of fishing and the creation of Marine Protected Areas in the Southern Ocean, the Office provides scientific and strategic input.

Advising political decision-makers

The Antarctic Office advises a range of German authorities and ministries, including the Federal Foreign Office, Federal Ministry of Education and Research, Federal Ministry for the Environment, and Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture, which is responsible for fishing matters, on political questions concerning the Antarctic. These include questions on how the United Nations agreement on Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (High Seas Treaty), ratified in 2023, can be implemented in German law.

Head: Dr. Stefan Hain

0471 4831 - 1152
stefan.hain@awi.de