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![[Translate to English:] Polarstern-Expedition in der Antarktis](/fileadmin/_processed_/8/f/csm_202103_PS124_PolarsternAntarktis_AndreasRogge_002_abe65121c8.jpg "Polarstern on the PS124 expedition in the southern Weddell Sea")
Vanished Without a Trace: No Organic Carbon Fingerprint Left by Antarctic Shelf Processes
Researchers have analysed water samples collected during two expeditions aboard the research icebreaker Polarstern to investigate how life and changing conditions on the Antarctic continental shelf affect carbon carried into the deep ocean. Published in Nature Communications, the study reveals a surprising finding: despite intense biological activity and major changes in the water masses, the amount and make-up of dissolved organic matter remain almost unchanged.
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Fossil CO2 emissions set to fall slightly in 2026
In 2026, total CO2 emissions are projected to reach 43.3 billion tonnes – up from 42.8 billion tonnes last year. This is shown in the latest report by the Global Carbon Project, published in the journal Earth System Science Data, to which the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) and Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU) contributed. Global emissions from fossil fuels are set to decrease this year; due to a strong growth in renewable energy as well as the geopolitical situation in Iran. At the same time,…
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Research Tour Focusing on Climate, Hydrogen, and Energy Research
During their research tour, which focused on climate, hydrogen and energy research, Brandenburg’s Ministers of Science and Economic Affairs, Manja Schüle and Martina Klement respectively, visited Telegrafenberg in Potsdam to learn more about the work of the research institutes. While there, they toured the AWI facility and learned about the research being conducted. They were welcomed by AWI scientists Bernhard Diekmann, Ulrike Herzschuh, Guido Grosse and Markus Rex.
China clay clue to past dramatic ice loss in West Antarctica
An international research team, including the Alfred Wegener Institute, has now discovered that West Antarctica's most vulnerable ice streams - including its giant Thwaites Glacier - repeatedly collapsed and retreated far inland during natural warm periods of the last 800,000 years. This occurred even when global temperatures were similar to those of today. The researchers have published their findings in the journal Nature Communications.
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Helmholtz Doctoral Prize for AWI Researcher
AWI researcher Tainã Marcos Lima Pinho was awarded this year’s Helmholtz Doctoral Prize. As part of his doctoral research, he used various geological climate indicators to reconstruct the dynamics of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet and its interactions with the Southern Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean over the past 75,000 years. His findings contribute to a better understanding of the relationships between ice sheets, oceans, and the global climate. With this prize, the Helmholtz Association annually honors outstanding doctoral dissertations from its six…
Introduction and Exchange at the AWI
Marion Steinberger, head of the BMFTR’s “Marine, Coastal, and Polar Research” division, visited the AWI in Bremerhaven. She was welcomed by AWI directors Hajo Eicken and Karsten Wurr. The visit included a tour of the NMR laboratory and the seawater circulation facility, as well as a presentation on bionic lightweight construction. The primary focus of the visit was getting to know one another and exchanging ideas. A highlight of the inaugural visit on the second day was a tour of the Polarstern.
Discussion on Global Climate Policy
Visit to the AWI in Bremerhaven: Clarissa Duvigneau, German Ambassador to Reykjavík, Iceland, visited the AWI accompanied by Uwe Beckmeyer, former Parliamentary State Secretary, and Frauke Koch, Executive Director of the Presseclub e. V. They were welcomed by AWI Directors Hajo Eicken and Karsten Wurr. The program included a discussion of German-Icelandic cooperation and current research. The group toured the C-14 laboratory at the AWI and discussed the importance of the Arctic for the Earth system and global climate policy.
![[Translate to English:] Überflutung Glatzer Neiße](/fileadmin/_processed_/3/e/csm_PM_2024_K%C5%82odzko__Jacek_Halicki__CC_BY-SA_4.0_abf08c9b67.jpg "Flooding in Kłodzko, Poland")
Climate change amplifies flooding more than extreme precipitation
The extent to which anthropogenic climate change alters the intensity of individual extreme precipitation events can already be estimated reliably. However, the same cannot yet be said of the resulting flood hazards. A new study led by the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) and with three co-authors from the Alfred Wegener Institute found that climate change amplified flood peaks considerably more than precipitation itself during Storm Boris in 2024. Assessments based solely on precipitation may therefore lead to an underestimation of…
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The ocean's role in regulating the climate is under pressure
The ocean absorbs a vast proportion of the carbon dioxide (CO2) and excess heat emitted by humans. In doing so, it acts as a buffer against climate change. However, this capacity is limited. The Climate Technology Progress Report published today by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP Copenhagen Climate Centre) calls for increased investment in ‘Ocean Carbon Intelligence’ to better understand the dynamics of the carbon cycle in the ocean. The report is being published in the run-up to the COP31, where it will be presented as part of a UNEP…
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![[Translate to English:] AWI-Forschungsschiff Heincke untersucht Weltkriegsmunition in der Nordsee](/fileadmin/_processed_/5/1/csm_20261019_HE694_HeinckeNordsee_MatthiasBrenner_002_990501cd8d.jpg "The AWI research vessel Heincke is investigating wartime wrecks")
World War munitions in the North Sea
The German federal government has set up an immediate programme to recover munitions in the North Sea and Baltic Sea. In order to achieve this, it has commissioned the construction and operation of a platform designed to remediate dumped munitions left over from previous world wars. Pilot projects to this end are running in the Baltic Sea and parallel clearance concepts are in development for the North Sea. The research vessel Heincke belonging to the Alfred Wegener Institute, is currently visiting several dumping sites in the German Bight in order to…
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