News

  • Portrait of Dr. Melanie Bergmann.
    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.
  • [Translate to English:] Polarstern im Bellingshausenmeer
    AWI in the Media

    Ancient River System Discovered Beneath Antarctic Ice

    Beneath the Antarctic ice, scientists find remnants of a giant river system that flowed for thousands of miles: Interview with AWI scientist Dr. Johann Klages in “Scientific American”,

Short notices

  • 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.

  • Dr Christian Katlein

    Gwyn Griffiths Underwater Robotics Award

    12. December 2025

    The international professional association Society for Underwater Technology (SUT) promotes research and knowledge transfer in underwater and marine technology. Every year, it presents the Gwyn Griffiths Underwater Robotics Award (GGUR), which recognises outstanding achievements in underwater robotics. We congratulate Christian Katlein, who received the award this year.

  • Axel Timmermann and Maarten Boersma

    International cooperation on climate research

    11. December 2025

    On 8 December, the AWI signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the IBS Centre for Climate Physics at Pusan National University. The agreement strengthens the existing collaboration between Germany and South Korea in the areas of high-resolution earth system modelling, climate–ice sheet interactions, climate change physics and the promotion of young scientists.

  • Emergency container

    Cultural Heritage Protection in Bremerhaven

    08. December 2025

    Cultural heritage is an important part of Bremerhaven's identity. In the event of damage caused by fire or water, the emergency network of Bremerhaven’s cultural and scientific institutions ensures that valuable objects are preserved. Staff from a total of 13 institutions, including Christian Salewski from the AWI, take care of securing and professionally treating the damaged cultural assets. For this purpose, a container with special cleaning and packaging materials is needed.

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.
  • Neueisbildung im Weddellmeer

    UN Ocean Conference 2025

  • View across the ocean

    UN Decade of Ocean Science

  • Antarctic sea ice, Weddell Sea

    UN Agreement for the Protection of the Ocean