Climate office for polar regions and sea level rise
We promote communication between science and society
Stopping or at least slowing down climate change with its far-reaching and regionally varying consequences for humanity and nature is one of the greatest challenges of the 21st century. Whether we are able to adapt in time to the imminent changes will largely depend on whether the results from research and science are communicated to an adequate degree and will be usable by government, economy and society for decision-making processes.
The Earth is undergoing profound climate change. Particularly the polar regions are very sensitive to even slight climate changes and therefore play a paramount role for the global climate system.
The Climate Office for Polar Regions and Sea Level Rise at the Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) is part of the regional Helmholtz climate offices network and operates at this important interface and bridging function since 2008. The Climate Office works in close cooperation with the Helmholtz research network "Regional Climate Change and Humans (REKLIM)", pools resources and develops joint transfer activities.
The aim of the Climate Office at AWI is to provide the results of targeted climatic research in the Polar Regions in user suitable and differentiated forms for national and international audiences of government, economy and society. Here, formats for co-production and participation in research are in focus. Knowledge transfer as a dialogue with society through the Climate Office is an important pillar at AWI in order to improve the social impact of scientific findings. Special attention is turned to long-term cooperations.
Head: Dr. Renate Treffeisen
renate.treffeisen@awi.de
+49(331) 58174-5221
Flagship projects
Sea ice portal
The sea ice portal is a German-language online knowledge platform on the topic of sea ice in the Arctic and Antarctic. It provides generally understandable background knowledge, up-to-date sea ice maps, interactive graphics and animations and is intentionally aimed at the whole of civil society: politics, authorities, business, the media and the interested public. The sea ice portal is operated by the AWI in cooperation with other research institutions.
klimafit Course
klimafit has been bringing science and civil society together at adult education centres since 2016, sees climate protection as a joint task and empowers and motivates people to take action on their own doorstep. The cooperation project was funded by the National Climate Initiative (NKI) from 2022 to 2024. In the three years of NKI funding, over 500 course instructors were trained. They implemented the developed course concept in this spirit at over 550 adult education centres throughout Germany and trained over 5,500 citizens to become multipliers of municipal climate protection. Detailed information on the klimafit project
Gateway to the Arctic
The workshop series was initiated in 2011 by Prof. Dr Karin Lochte (former director of the AWI) and Dr Yves Frenot (then director of the French polar institute Institut polaire français Paul Emile Victor, IPEV) and organised annually by the Climate Office at the Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research by Dr Renate Treffeisen on the AWI side and Prof. Dr Jan Borm on the side of the Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ). The aim is to initiate a transdisciplinary exchange between junior scientists from the divisions of natural sciences, humanities and social sciences and to develop a more comprehensive view of Arctic change.
Other Climate office projects
Internships at the Climate office
We are happy to offer the opportunity to complete an internship at the Climate office. Please contact the head Renate Treffeisen in this regard. Here, former interns introduce themselves and describe their work at the Climate office.