News

  • AWI permafrost expert Dr. Guido Grosse and his colleague Matthias Fuchs (right) are taking notes about the permafrost at Sobo-Sise Island, located in the Eastern part of the Lena Delta (Siberia, Russia).
    AWI in the Media

    Why rivers in the far north are turning orange

    AWI scientist Guido Grosse in an interview with the Financial Times: The brightly coloured waterways in the Arctic are a sign that permafrost is thawing, with potentially hazardous consequences.
  • AWI in the Media

    Trump rollbacks threaten global treaty on plastics pollution

    Hopes for a "last-chance" ambitious global treaty to curb plastic pollution have dimmed as delegates gather this week at the United Nations in Geneva for what was intended to be the final round of negotiations. AWI scientist Melanie Bergmann is taking part in the talks.
  • Penguins in Antarctica
    AWI in the Media

    Secrets of the Penguins

    Forbes magazine spoke to the makers of the new Natonal Geographic documentary “Secrets of the Penguins”. Filming also took place at Neumayer Station III in the Antarctic.
  • [Translate to English:] EastGRIP-Camp auf Grönland
    AWI in the Media

    Inside an ice stream

    “Science”: Ice cores from 2300 meters’ depth await processing at the East Greenland Ice-core Project, a Danish-led drilling project in northeastern Greenland
  • AWI in the Media

    "The world has been warming faster than expected"

    CNN Article about a paper in “Science” by AWI scientist Helge Gößling
  • AWI in the Media

    Antarctica’s first known amber whispers of a vanished…

    Nature: The only continent where amber had not been found no longer has that distinction, thanks to a sediment core drilled just offshore.
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

  • The icebreaking research vessel Poalrstern is home and shelter for the MOSAiC scientists and crew.

    5 years Welcome back MOSAiC

    It was the largest Arctic expedition in history: on 12 October 2020 our research vessel Polarstern returned after a year-long drift.
  • Antarctic sea ice, Weddell Sea

    UN Agreement for the Protection of the Ocean

  • View across the ocean

    UN Decade of Ocean Science

Short notices

  • TEDx Talk: Stars of Polar Night

    12. February 2026

    AWI photographer Esther Horvath was a guest at the TEDx Talk on February 9 with her presentation “Stars of Polar Night”. She shared insights into her work in the Arctic and Antarctic, as well as at the AWIPEV research station in Ny-Ålesund. With personal experiences and striking photos captured during the polar night, she illustrates how scientists conduct research in one of the most remote regions on Earth. Watch the talk.

  • Three people on stage, behind them a large screen showing four people

    Live broadcast from Antarctica

    11. February 2026

    A team from the Deutsches Theater has embarked on a journey to Antarctica to produce a theatre play there. Director Jan-Christoph Gockel, cameraman Lion Bischof, and actors Julia Gräfner and Wolfram Koch are living and working at Neumayer Station III for four weeks to experience Antarctica up close and ultimately share their experiences with audiences in the play “POLARIS.” An event gave the audience a first taste of the play with a live link to Antarctica. More information.

  • Leif Erik Bodin visits the AWI Wadden Sea Station on Sylt.

    Leif Erik Bodin visits the AWI Wadden Sea Station

    26. January 2026

    On 23 January, Member of the German Bundestag (MdB) Leif Erik Bodin visited the AWI site on Sylt. He was welcomed by Maarten Boersma, Kerstin Mölter and Sabine Horn, before being given a tour of the institute that offered insights into the research activities conducted at the site. The visit concluded with an exchange on current topics.

  • 30 years in service to German polar research

    16. January 2026

    For three decades, the crews and employees of the F. Laeisz shipping company have supported AWI research in the Arctic and Antarctic, both on land and at sea. Laeisz has operated the Polarstern since New Year's Eve 1995. On 15 January, the AWI honoured this successful collaboration during celebrations in Bremerhaven. A special memento was presented as a token of appreciation for the trusting and successful cooperation.

  • Group photo of the Japanese delegation at the AWI

    Japanese delegation visits the AWI

    17. December 2025

    As part of a research project on climate change education, a Japanese delegation from various universities visited the AWI to exchange ideas. In addition to discussions with researchers, the program also included visits to the Klimahaus in Bremerhaven and the German Emigration Center. The focus was on museum education concepts and international cooperation.

  • Group photo in the blue salon

    Reception in Namibia

    15. December 2025

    To mark the arrival of the Polarstern in Walvis Bay, Dr Thorsten Hutter, the German Ambassador to Namibia, visited the ship with his delegation. They were welcomed in the Blue Salon by Captain Felix Kentges, the interim director of the AWI, Prof. Dr. Maarten Boersma, and the expedition leader, Prof. Dr. Karen Wiltshire. The afternoon concluded with a presentation on the completed training expedition and a tour of the ship.