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Senckenberg researchers Serena Abel, formerly a PhD student at AWI, and Angelika Brandt, together with colleagues from the AWI and the Goethe University Frankfurt, have studied microplastics in the Kuril-Kamchatka Trench. They found between 215 and 1596 microparticles per kg in each of a total of 13 sediment samples from depths of up to 9450 meters - more than previously detected. The study, published in 'Science of The Total Environment', shows that the deep sea is heavily polluted with microplastics and is threatening biodiversity. To the press release

The new AWI coastal research vessel Uthörn has called at her home port Helgoland: The island community ceremoniously welcomed the successor vessel and greeted the ship with joy. The new Uthörn is currently on test and trial cruises in the German Bight before the official handover to the AWI and the scientific community is expected to take place in August.

On a current expedition with the US Research Vessel Atlantis, benthic studies are carried out with the deep-diving submersible Alvin. Felix Janssen, scientist in the HGF-MPG bridging group for deep-sea ecology and technology at the AWI and the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology (MPI), is joining this expedition at the moment. Led by the former MPI group member Tina Treude, who is now Professor at the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA), the expedition aims to study seafloor biogeochemistry in oxygen deficient waters of the Santa…

Ensuring global food security for the growing population is an important topic that many researchers are dealing with. As the demand for food and sustainable resources increases, the world's oceans play an increasingly important role in the nutrition, health and well-being of populations. But the production of marine resources can no longer be sustained by ecosystems and natural fisheries production only. The EU project OLAMUR (Offshore Low-trophic Aquaculture in Multi-use Scenario Realisation), which runs from January 2023 to December 2026, aims to help…

The project MonitorShrimp, which is making considerable strides in improving animal welfare and performance in the context of shrimp farming, is the outcome of a consortium combining the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI), Oceanloop and Sander Holding. Over the past two years, the participating researchers have developed a computer vision system that allows early detection and monitoring of the tiny creatures’ growth, population size, mortality and stress.

Germany’s watercourses, including the Elbe River, are polluted by external discharges from industry, agriculture, and sewage treatment plants. However, this pollution changes along the course of the river - as a result of many sources of pollution and because degradation processes change the substances. In a joint measurement campaign, researchers from several Helmholtz Centres, including the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI),  want to take a closer look at how environmental chemicals, nano- and microplastic…

“NOVAFOODIES” is a new AWI project, which has been funded by the Horizon Europe program with a budget of about 6 million euros, that aims to transform the value chain of food production from marine and freshwater resources, to achieve new food products for human consumption. One goal the project is, to demonstrate the sustainable production of macro- and microalgae, and fish species, as a basis for novel functional food and feed production. NOVAFOODIES gathers 28 international partners.

What impact does macroalgae cultivation for sustainable packaging production have on the environment? A research project titled "Life cycle assessment of land-based seaweed cultivation for packaging material" is dedicated to this topic, which was developed in cooperation with the AWI, the University of Latvia, Institute for Microbiology and Biotechnology and the Bremerhaven University of Applied Sciences. The project aims to provide vital data on the enviromental impact of this study using a Life Cycle Analysis (LVA). To the original press release

Angelika Humbert from AWI and Tilman Bucher from DLR took the third place in the category "Jury Award" at the Helmholtz Imaging Contest 2023. The winners were announced during the award ceremony on June 15th at the third Annual Helmholtz Imaging Conference. The awarded photo was taken with a MACS camera on the 79°N Glacier, developed by DLR-OS. The prize, which is worth 600 euros, is donated by Beiersdorf. More information

During a 10-day guest research visit, the Traversing European Coastlines team sampled soil, sediments, shallow water and aerosols at the coastal site of Sylt. The AWI site was one of 46 planned stations in 22 different countries where the TREC team from the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL for short) is collecting samples and environmental data at land-sea interfaces to assess the response of different organisms to natural and man-made environmental factors.