News

So far, thousands of deep-sea photos and videos from marine research institutes have been barely accessible on the Internet because they are not cataloged and described consistently. A team from the Helmholtz Research Centers, with the participation of AWI, GEOMAR and Hereon, has developed a uniform data standard for underwater images that is intended to enable the global use of such image data. The group presents the new metadata format in the journal "Nature Scientific Data".​ Further information

As part of an investigation of the Western Pacific Kuril-Kamchatka Trench, Senckenberg researchers, with the support of AWI scientists and researchers from Goethe University Frankfurt, have proved high levels of microplastic pollution, which is greater than previously assumed. While evaluating the sediment samples, the research team found that each of the 13 samples taken from a depth of up to 9450 meters contained between 215 and 1596 tiny microplastic particles per kilogram. Further information

In Germany, the Harz is a region particularly hard hit by climate change: storms, arid conditions and subsequent bark beetle infestations are causing unprecedented damage to the forest. Sea-ice experts from the Alfred Wegener Institute are now helping to quantify the damage and contributing to the success of reforestation efforts – from the air. To carry out essential equipment tests for an upcoming Arctic campaign, they are engaging in survey flights over the Harz, during which they're putting their new, high-resolution camera systems through their…

About 1400 kilometers east of the Philippines lies the archipelago of Palau in the West Pacific. Here, the air is particularly pure and low in pollutants - perfect conditions for studying the distribution of particles in the atmosphere and their influence on the climate worldwide. The Alfred Wegener Institute has been operating the Palau Atmospheric Observatory here since 2015, together with the University of Bremen, the Palau Community College and the Coral Reef Research Foundation. Now a delegation led by German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has…

After blue whales, fin whales are the largest whales in the world – and human beings have hunted both species to near-extinction. After the ban on commercial whaling in 1976, the stocks of these long-lived, but slow-growing creatures are rebounding: in the journal Scientific Reports, researchers and filmmakers jointly present videos and photos of large groups of up to 150 southern fin whales in their historical feeding areas – more than has ever been documented before using modern methods. Given these whales’ key role in nutrient recycling, other species…

The International Coral Reef Symposium will be held in Bremen, Germany, July 3-8. ICRS 2022 is the world's leading conference on coral reef science, management and conservation. AWI scientists will also participate in the ICRS. Claudio Richter will lead a program section on Antarctic cold-water corals, and other AWI colleagues will report on their research.

Can art help to awaken the motivation and courage for change towards a more sustainable lifestyle? This question is addressed by the new foyer exhibition at the Filmmuseum Potsdam, which will be opened on June 30 by, among others, the head of the AWI Research Center Potsdam, Bernhard Diekmann, and in which AWI scientist Lars Gutow has also participated. Further information

How is climate change affecting the permanently frozen soils of the Arctic? What will the consequences be for the global climate, human beings, and ecosystems? And what can be done to stop it? In the journal Frontiers in Environmental Science, a team of experts led by Benjamin Abbott from Brigham Young University, USA and Jens Strauss from the Alfred Wegener Institute in Potsdam summarise the current state of knowledge on these questions. In addition, an AWI group led by Moritz Langer has now created an interactive map of the past and future of…

Today, the research vessel Polarstern will depart on a seven-week-long voyage to the Arctic, where the onset of summer also marks the beginning of the annual sea-ice melting. Over the past 40 years, the summer sea-ice extent has decreased by 40 percent – making it one of the most visible impacts of climate change. In a process study to be conducted in the marginal ice zone, the team of researchers on board will investigate how heat fluxes and water layering in the ocean, as well as the characteristics of the ice, interact and influence melting. A further…

As part of the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting 2022, the panel discussion on Trust in Science, Trust in Chemistry will take place on June 26 at 3 p.m. AWI Director Antje Boetius will participate together with Sophie Marie Gutenthaler, María Clara Miserendino, Venki Ramakrishnan and Brian Schmidt, moderated by Adam Smith. The event will be broadcast live