• [Translate to English:] Einsatz des Bongo-Netzes während ARK-XXV/2
Deployment of the Bongo net during ARK-XXV/2
    Press releases

    Polarstern starts Arctic Season

    In 1999, the Alfred Wegener Institute launched an ambitious project: the HAUSGARTEN observatory in the Fram Strait between northeast Greenland and Svalbard. Spanning ice-covered waters and extending to depths of more than 5,500 metres, this unique research infrastructure has…
  • [Translate to English:]
    Online news

    ERC-Proof of Concept

    Laser ablation is a widely used state-of-the-art technology for micro-destructive material sampling, especially if used in conjunction with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) for chemical material analysis. The European Research Council (ERC) is now funding…
  • Seestern
starfish
    AWI in the Media

    Documentary "Faszination Tiefsee" in the ARTE media library

    The documentary “Faszination Tiefsee” (The Fascination of the Deep Sea) by Martin Papirowski takes viewers on a journey through the deep sea, including AWI research carried out on the Polarstern and in the laboratory. The film is available in the ARTE media library.
  • Die marine Ökologin Mar Fernández-Méndez vom Alfred-Wegener-Institut (AWI) und Prof. Linda Amaral Zettel vom Königlichen Niederländischen Institut für Meeresforschung (NIOZ) leiten ein Projekt auf der Expedition, das den Großen Atlantischen Sargassum-Gürtel zwischen Fortaleza (Brasilien) und Port of Spain (Trinidad und Tobago) untersucht.
    Online news

    Setting Sail for the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt

    in 2027, Mar Fernández-Méndez will be part of the maiden voyage of the research vessel REV Oceans to investigate investigating the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt, its role in the carbon cycle from the surface to the seafloor and the accumulation of microplastics.
  • Das Gebäude D des AWI Bremerhaven bei Nacht
    Event

    Guided Tours at the Alfred Wegener Institute

    When: 26.08.2026, 14:30 pm
    Where: Am alten Hafen 26, Bremerhaven
    Who: Alfred-Wegener-Institut
  • Portrait of AWI geograph Prof Dr Ulrike Herzschuh
    Press releases

    AWI researcher in Potsdam awarded ERC Advanced Grant

    Over the next five years, Ulrike Herzschuh will be able to focus more strongly on the extinction of plant species and develop new methods and models for this purpose. The European Research Council is funding her “plantExtinct” project with three million euros.
Portrait of Angelika Humbert Portrait of marine biologist Dr Bernadette Pogoda Portrait of Prof. Dr. Bettina Meyer Portrait of Christian Haas. Portrait of Prof. Dr. Gerrit Lohmann Portrait of Prof. Dr. Hans-Otto Pörtner Portrait Helge Goessling Portrait of AWI permafrost researcher Prof. Dr. Hugues Lantuit Portrait of Dr. Ingo Sasgen. Portrait Marcel Nicolaus Portrait of Dr. Nicole Biebow Portrait Olaf Eisen Portrait of Dr. Stefanie Arndt Portrait of Dr. Stefan Hain

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Focus

Short notices

  • As part of the session ‘Next Gen Science: Explorations of Space, Earth and Time’, Ole Zeising presented the findings of a recent study on the Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica at the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting.

    AWI researchers at the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting

    02. July 2026

    At the 75th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting, around 600 early-career researchers from across the globe met with Nobel laureates to discuss current research topics and global challenges. Among the participants were AWI researchers Ole Zeising and Xianyu Kong. As part of the session "Next Gen Science: Explorations of Space, Earth and Time", Ole Zeising presented the findings of a recent study on the Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica. Guests at the meeting also included Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Federal Minister Dorothee Bär.

  • Blck über das Meer

    The South Asian monsoon responds differently to global climate change

    30. June 2026

    In summer, the monsoon is primarily influenced by climatic processes in the Northern Hemisphere; in winter, as global temperatures rise, there is an increasing amount of rainfall outside the monsoon season itself. The alternation between dry and wet seasons shapes the lives of more than two billion people. Press release of MARUM

  • Gruppenfoto vor Space-Simulator.

    Open House at the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space

    26. June 2026

    An AWI researcher represented the AWI at the Open House hosted by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology, and Space (BMFTR). She had the opportunity to speak with visitors and Federal Minister of Research Dorothee Bär about polar research. In a conversation with astronauts Alexander Gerst and Matthias Maurer, it became clear what space exploration and polar research have in common: working in extreme, remote locations.

  • AWI exhibition at FONA forum 2026

    26. June 2026

    On 24 and 25 June, the AWI exhibited a small selection of items at the FONA Forum 2026 in Berlin. The exhibits give an insight into the AWI’s research, particularly in the polar regions. Among others, the Federal Minister of Research Dorothee Bär visited the exhibition. FONA stands for ‘Research for Sustainability’ and refers to the new sustainability-focused strategy of the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space, which was presented and discussed at the forum.

  • Portrait of Prof. Dr. Hans-Otto Pörtner

    The environment shapes security

    25. June 2026

    Global environmental changes, such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and increasing ecosystem pollution, pose significant security risks. These changes endanger people, social stability, economic performance, and the ability of states to act. The German Advisory Council on Global Change (WBGU) emphasizes this point in its latest assessment. These changes must be prioritized in national and international security strategies. AWI scientist Hans-Otto Pörtner contributed to the report. See the WBGU press release.

  • Group photo, From left to right: Anne Reinhard (Policy Officer); Dr Volker Rachold (AWI, Arctic Office), Evelyne Coulombe (Deputy Ambassador of Canada to Germany); Virginia Mearns (Canada’s Arctic Ambassador); Dr Bennet Juhls (AWI); Erin Koenig (Head of the Public Diplomacy Section at the Canadian Embassy); Prof. Dr Bernhard Diekmann (AWI); Marta Neüff (Public Diplomacy Officer).

    Talk with Canada's Arctic Ambassador

    23. June 2026

    During a discussion titled "Arctic Security and Cooperation in a Time of Geopolitical Change," political and academic representatives in Berlin discussed scientific cooperation in the Arctic. The Aspen Institute Germany and the Canadian Embassy organized the event. The AWI was represented by Bernhard Diekmann, Volker Rachold, and Bennet Juhls. During their discussions with Virginia Mearns, Canada’s Arctic Ambassador, the focus was on joint projects, including the 2027 Arctic Pulse expeditions, as well as maintaining the continuity of bilateral Arctic research.