• [Translate to English:] Polarstern-Winterexperiment
    Press releases

    A new observing system for the Southern Ocean

    The EU project SYNCHRONY aims to contribute to a better understanding of the rapid changes in the complex system comprising the ocean, ice and atmosphere in the Southern Ocean and around the Antarctic ice shelves, as well as their impacts on the global climate and biodiversity.
  • Eroding Permafrost Coastline
    Press releases

    Arctic Ocean keeps permafrost carbon locked

    When permafrost thaws, carbon can be released. A study by the AWI and MARUM shows for the first time that a large portion of this carbon is permanently stored in the seafloor.
  • [Translate to English:] Expedition Mt. Ararat
    Online news

    Expedition to Mount Ararat surveys the glacier ice for the…

    Facing wind and cold, with only half as much oxygen as at low altitude, a German-Turkish research team surveyed the glacier of Mount Ararat in eastern Turkey for the first time in July, at over 5,000 metres altitude. For two weeks, the scientists worked on the ice, which until…
  • Borealer Wald in Alaska.
    Online news

    Taiga Forests Protect Permafrost Soils

    Where boreal forests grow on continuous permafrost, they serve an important climate function: their canopies shade the surface and reduce thaw depth, helping preserve the vast carbon reserves contained in the frozen permafrost. 
  • [Translate to English:] AWIPEV
    Event

    Stars of Polar Night with Esther Horvath

    When: 08.08.-14.08.2026
    Where: Teaterplassen, Arendal, Norway
    Who: Esther Horvath
  • [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…
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

  • Group photo: Katharina Giesen, Hajo Eicken, Simone Blaschka, Birgit Burghart

    AWI Director Hajo Eicken visits the German Emigration Center

    29. July 2026

    AWI Director Hajo Eicken visited the German Emigration Center in Bremerhaven, where he discussed potential collaborations with Managing Director Simone Blaschka and Advisor to the Director Birgit Burghart. They discussed ways to communicate complex issues, such as climate change, migration, and their societal consequences, more effectively. Further discussions and potential joint research projects are planned to expand the collaboration in the future.

  • Visit at the British Antarctic Survey

    24. July 2026

    On 23 and 24 July, AWI director Hajo Eicken and AWI researchers Stefanie Arndt, Nicole Biebow, Alexander Haumann and Michael Karcher visited the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) in Cambridge. During the meeting, the participants discussed current and future collaboration between the AWI and the BAS, and conversed about joint efforts in the division of polar research. A particular focus was placed on the international project Antarctica InSync.

  • A visitor at Biologische Anstalt Helgoland: secretary of state Guido Wendt

    17. July 2026

    On 16 July, as part of his summer tour, secretary of state Guido Wendt visited the Biological Institute Helgoland and gained a wide range of insights into current coastal research. Wendt was particularly impressed by the highlights of long-term ecological research, microplastics research and the infrastructure that the AWI provides for individual visiting researchers and university courses. He also discussed with colleagues on site the transfer of scientific findings into policy and society, which support measures to tackle climate change, biodiversity loss and environmental pollution. Wendt is secretary of state at the Ministry of Education, Training, Science, Research and Culture of the State of Schleswig-Holstein.

  • AWI Director Hajo Eicken visits University of Bremen

    06. July 2026

    On 2 July, AWI Director Hajo Eicken visited the University of Bremen to meet with Principal Jutta Günther and to discuss the further development of cooperation between the two institutions. The aim of the meeting was to strengthen and expand existing links. The discussion also focused on opportunities to involve other fields, such as the social sciences, in joint activities alongside the natural sciences. Particular attention was given to prospects for closer collaboration in research and teaching, especially in the areas of sustainability and joint professorships.

  • Schmelz-und Regenwasserteich auf Herschel Island, umgeben von blühenden Wollgras (Eriophorum vaginatum).

    Wladimir Köppen Prize for Dr Katharina Jentzsch

    06. July 2026

    In June, Dr Katharina Jentzsch was awarded the 2025 Wladimir Köppen Prize for her research into greenhouse gases in bog landscapes in Finland. As part of her work in the FLUXWIN Junior Researcher Group at the AWI in Potsdam, she investigated methane emissions in bog landscapes across the seasons. The findings are of practical use for climate protection. The Wladimir Köppen Prize, awarded by the CLICCS Cluster of Excellence at the University of Hamburg, recognises outstanding dissertations in climate science. More information.

  • 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.