The Arctic's permafrost stores large quantities of organic carbon. Researchers from the AWI and @marumunibremen.bsky.social have shown that large quantities of this carbon, released by thawing permafrost and coastal erosion, are permanently buried in seafloor sediments. www.awi.de/en/about-us/...

The Arctic Ocean keeps permafrost carbon firmly locked

Permafrost in the Arctic stores large quantities of organic carbon. When the frozen ground thaws or coastal sections erode, this carbon can enter the sea, where microorganisms can break it down and co...

awi.de

The SYNCHRONY project, led by the AWI, will start on 1 August 2026. It will strengthen observations in the Southern Ocean, improve our understanding of changes to the ocean, ice and atmosphere, and lay the groundwork for the UN Ocean Decade initiative, Antarctica InSync. www.awi.de/en/about-us/...

A new observing system for the Southern Ocean

The EU project SYNCHRONY will launch on August 1st, 2026. It aims to contribute to a better understanding of the rapid changes taking place in the complex system comprising the ocean, ice and atmosphe...

awi.de

The Ararat Glacier has been surveyed geophysically for the first time. As part of a project led by the University of Münster, AWI and its partners mapped its ice cap, laying the groundwork for an ice core drilling campaign in 2027. www.awi.de/en/about-us/...

One week left to apply for a PhD position about phage-host interactions on the beautiful island Helgoland. Come and work with us on the importance of phages in oyster-pathogenic Vibrios and which effect different seasons have on phage-host interactions. jobs.awi.de/Vacancies/22... @awi.de

Tara Polar Station set off from the port of Lorient on 19 July. The mobile, international research station run by the Tara Ocean Fondation is now on its way to the Arctic, where it will drift across the ocean. Among the participants will be AWI researchers. 📸 François Dourlens/Fondation Tara Océan

Last week, we welcomed new AWI Director Hajo Eicken at HIFMB. As a collaborative institute between the University of Oldenburg and AWI, HIFMB is legally and organizationally part of AWI, and we collaborate closely. It was a great opportunity to exchange ideas with Hajo so soon after he took office.

On Saturday,research vessel Polarstern will head to HAUSGARTEN,a long-term Arctic observatory in the Fram Strait. Since 1999,it has recorded ecological changes in the water column and on the seafloor, providing key insights into climate impacts on polar marine ecosystems. www.awi.de/en/about-us/...

Polarstern sets course for the HAUSGARTEN Arctic long-term observatory

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 t...

awi.de

In 2027,AWI scientist Mar Fernández and NIOZ's Linda Amaral Zettel will lead a REV Ocean expedition to study the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt, a largely unexplored algal ecosystem that plays a significant role in climate, biodiversity, and the transport of microplastics. www.awi.de/en/about-us/...

Setting Sail for the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt with the New REV Ocean Research Vessel

In 2027, the Norwegian initiative REV Oceans will send its new vessel on its first expedition: in April, the floating research platform will set sail from Rio de Janeiro alongside the UN Ocean Decade ...

awi.de

🪱New paper in the 25 years of HAUSGARTEN Observatory issue on "Biological variability & ecological sensitivity of #Arctic #DeepSea macrobenthos to environ. change" showing subtle long-term trends, incl. fauna responses to warm water anomaly (2015-2017). @awi.de www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Biological variability and ecological sensitivity of Arctic deep-sea macrobenthos to environmental change

Global accelerated changes impact deep-sea ecosystems, as particularly the current global warming trend is amplified in the Arctic. Studies on tempora…

sciencedirect.com

Need to cool off? ❄️Our wintering team celebrated 'Midwinter' at Neumayer Station III over the weekend. This means that, from now on, the days in Antarctica will become longer and brighter once again. The first half of the polar night is over!

Congratulations to AWI researcher Ulrike Herzschuh! The geographer has been endowed with three million euros by the European Research Council for her ‘plantExtinct’ project. She will be able to focus more on the extinction of plant species and develop new methods and models for this purpose.

Arctic sea ice reflects solar radiation, slows global warming and influences global ocean and atmospheric circulation. Due to limited observations, reanalysis data is used, which can be biased. A research team led by AWI researcher Akil Hossain has developed an AI model to correct these biases.

🥳Something to celebrate: 25 years of ecological time-series studies at the LTER Observatory HAUSGARTEN! As we see right now, it's not easy to sustain time series over long times -especially covering all spheres- yet it's vital to monitor #ClimateChange. @awi.de www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Marine heatwaves in the Arctic are now more frequent, longer-lasting and more intense than in the past. A recent AWI study led by Marylou Athanase shows how these extreme events have changed significantly and where gaps in our knowledge still exist. www.awi.de/en/about-us/...

Since 2016, the AWI has operated an atmospheric observatory in Palau in the Pacific. The station measures ozone, water vapour, clouds and aerosols to help improve our understanding of atmospheric processes and refine climate models. www.awi.de/en/about-us/...

10 Years of the Palau Observatory: Why polar researchers are working on a small Pacific island

In 2016, the Alfred Wegener Institute, together with the University of Bremen, the Palau Community College, and the Coral Reef Research Foundation, opened a research station at what is probably its wa...

awi.de

😊 I fondly remember the 'eek' moments we had after each visit to an ice floe to collect microplastic samples during #Polarstern expedition #PS126 in 2021 to our #Hausgarten observatory! 🚁During one flight, we discovered a small ‘boulder island’ in the ice & examined it more closely. 🎥 H. Jager 🧵->

What happens on the deep Arctic seafloor when glaciers retreat and sea ice disappears? A new AWI study reveals: As Arctic glaciers become increasingly unstable, more icebergs break off and drift through the ocean. Carrying rocks and sediment, these icebergs create new seafloor habitats as they melt.

Thawing permafrost, erosion and rising sea levels are causing permanent changes to Arctic river deltas. This puts important carbon sinks and unique ecosystems under increasing pressure. In a study, AWI researchers are investigating the impact of these changes on the Arctic and the global climate. 🌍

You want to connect with colleagues in alpine and polar research in Germany? Check out now our 2nd update for the upcoming 30th International Polar Conference! 🗓️ 22. - 26. February 2027 📍 Bremerhaven, Deutschland @awi.de at the old Nordsee-Museum 👉 www.polarforschung.de/en/news/30-i...

🚢 Yay, we’re setting sail soon: in July we’re heading to @awi.de HAUSGARTEN observatory in the #Arctic #DeepSea to continue our time series and take samples to assess the effects of #ClimateChange and #plastic pollution. Most of the boxes are packed, I can't wait to see the blue-white shades again!🤗

🪱 New study shows that meiofauna biomass and production decreased significantly from 2000 to 2017 at @awi.de HAUSGARTEN #observatory in the #Arctic #DeepSea. This may reflect growing competition with macrofauna. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Temporal variability in the biomass size spectra, secondary production, and carbon demand of deep-sea benthos in a warming Arctic ocean (79°N, Fram strait)

Body size is one of the most significant functional trait of an organism, while the size spectrum defines the functioning of a multispecies community.…

sciencedirect.com

New study finds 4.5 microfibers per clam (incl. #plastics) from #Antarctica and additives like #phthalates, #organophosphate esters & non-phthalate plasticizers (potentially from research activities). Several exceed levels reported for clams in other regions! www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Antarctic threats: anthropogenic microfibers and plasticizers in the scallop Adamussium colbecki from the Ross Sea

Antarctica is increasingly impacted by anthropogenic pollutants, including microplastics (MPs) and associated plastic additives. This study presents t…

sciencedirect.com

🐱🐶 New study shows that 🇪🇸 dog & cat dry food contain #microplastics. Dog food had over twice as many MPs (9.33 MPs/5g vs. 4.07 MPs/5 g). While dogs might be more vulnerable to systemic effects from MPs, cats may be more prone to chronic intestinal inflammation. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

A plastic diet for pets: Exploratory evidence of microplastics in commercial dry pet food in Spain

Microplastics (MPs) are increasingly recognized as emerging xenobiotics that may adversely affect animal health. Their presence in dry pet food (DPF) …

sciencedirect.com

Diese Woche gibt es wieder eine Episode "Wissenschaft fürs Wohnzimmer" in Englisch! This time we go underwater in the exciting world of This time, Svenja Wöhle from @awi.de takes us underwater into the exciting world of whale songs. 📆 Thu, 21.5.26, 20:30 Uhr 1/3 www.youtube.com/live/viPKhn1...

A Noisy Ocean - What We Can Learn from Listening to Whales

YouTube video by Wissenschaft fürs Wohnzimmer

youtube.com

We at Helmholtz see Diversity, Equity & Inclusion as a shared responsibility across the entire team. #HelmholtzDiversity To mark the occasion, we recommend a recent interview with the spokespersons of the Helmholtz DEI Network: www.helmholtz.de/en/newsroom/...

“Diversity, Equity & Inclusion is not the responsibility of a few ‘designated’ individuals, but must be supported by everyone.”

Anne Freese and Gholamhossein Movahedian are the spokespersons for the Helmholtz Network for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. In this interview,

helmholtz.de

Distinguished visitor aboard the Polarstern: Federal Minister of Research Dorothee Bär was welcomed at an official reception on the bridge of the Polarstern in Bremerhaven. 🚢🤗 Representatives from politics, science, and business also attended, including Bremen Mayor Andreas Bovenschulte.

German Research Minister, Dorothee Bär, visited the research icebreaker Polarstern upon its return from Antarctica. She boarded the ship in Amsterdam, where she was welcomed by Captain Felix Kentges, Expedition Leader Björn Fiedler, and AWI Director Hajo Eicken. Photos: Barbara Dombrowski

📈This important paper, which was largely overlooked, stresses the need for long-term ocean observation showing that #Atlantic water temperatures increased by 0.54°C from 1997-2024 (0.20°C per decade) at HAUSGARTEN observatory, Fram Strait. @awi.de #ClimateChange www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Decades of change: Warming trends and hydrographic variability of Atlantic Water as observed in the west Spitsbergen current (1997–2024)

Fram Strait is the main gateway between the Arctic Ocean and the North Atlantic, where warm, saline Atlantic Water (AW) flows northward via the West S…

sciencedirect.com

In Tromsø, Research Minister Dorothee Bär @dorobaer.bsky.social Bär and AWI Director Hajo Eicken met with representatives of the Norwegian Polar Institute. “Germany and Norway are connected by many years of close and trusted cooperation in polar research,” said AWI Director Hajo Eicken. 📸 NPI

New study by AWI scientist Ole Zeising @olezsng.bsky.social: The bed beneath the Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica is characterized by a complex subglacial environment with hard, steep basal slopes and extensive water-bearing sediments.