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Exactly 100 years ago, Germany’s northernmost research facilities on the North Sea island Sylt were opened. What began as a small field outpost for oyster research in 1924 would evolve into a modern, fully equipped research station that has been part of the Alfred Wegener Institute since 1998. Today, the AWI Wadden Sea Station on Sylt is pursuing answers to what is likely the most important question concerning the fragile ecosystem at its doorstep: how will climate change affect the Wadden Sea and North Sea in the long term?

The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), also known as the oceanic conveyor belt, plays a central role in the global climate system by transporting enormous amounts of heat. Global warming is expected to weaken the AMOC, which could lead to serious climatic changes in Europe. A current study in the journal Physical Review Letters shows that the AMOC under the influence of global warming shows regional and disproportionately abrupt shifts, contrary to the previous results of a long-term and smooth decline. 

As part of the MELT Festival, the CarbonCycleCultureClub (C4), a discussion and thinking format organized by Forum Rathenau, took place at the Zschornewitz power plant. The main topic of the discussion was 'Blue Carbon: Achieving climate goals with natural CO2 storage?'. Besides music producer and biologist Jayda G, Antje Boetius also took part in the discussion. The AWI director explained the importance of blue carbon ecosystems for climate protection. 

AWI researcher Lauri Hofmann participated in a side event of the UN High Level Political Forum Event in New York. The topic of the event was macroalgae. In her presentation and as part of a panel, Lauri Hofmann spoke about the importance of macroalgae biobanks and their contribution to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. More Info

The AWI researchers Luisa von Albedyll and Simone Maria Stünzi participated in the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting. There, they engaged in discourse with Nobel laureates and young scientists. Luisa von Albedyll presented her work on Arctic sea ice to a broad audience in the "Scientific Exchange Among Young Scientists" session.

In recent years global warming has left its mark on the Antarctic ice sheets. The "eternal" ice in Antarctica is melting faster than previously assumed, particularly in West Antarctica more than East Antarctica. The root for this could lie in its formation, as an international research team led by the Alfred Wegener Institute has now discovered: sediment samples from drill cores combined with complex climate and ice-sheet modelling show that permanent glaciation of Antarctica began around 34 million years ago – but did not encompass the entire continent…

Global warming as well as recent droughts and floods threaten large populations along the Nile Valley. Understanding how such a large river will respond to an invigorated hydrological cycle is therefore a pressing issue. Insights can be gained by studying past periods with wetter and warmer conditions. A recent study by a research team led by the German Research Centre for Geosciences GFZ, including the Alfred Wegener Institute and the University of Innsbruck participated, provides insights into this. A sediment core from the Nile Valley shows that in…

The German sailor Boris Herrmann visited the AWI: The founder of the Team Malizia sailing team met with scientists at the AWI to discuss his new project - a new sailing boat that will be dedicated to research and science communication. The aim is to initiate a long-term cooperation between Boris Herrmann and the AWI so that scientific measurements can also be taken on the boat.

Yesterday, the 23rd Arctic Dialogue brought together representatives of the federal ministries and authorities, as well as of scientific institutions and think tanks to discuss current Arctic policy and research in times of political tension. Organized by the German Arctic Office of the AWI together with the Federal Foreign Office, topics discussed included Arctic research, remote sensing, the political environment for cooperation and, finally, the importance of science diplomacy.

The designated German ambassadors to Canada, Tjorven Bellmann and Matthias Lüttenberg, visited the Arctic Office in Potsdam yesterday. They were welcomed by Volker Rachold, Head of the German Arctic Office. The meeting focused on the presentation of the AWI, the work of the Arctic Office and current and upcoming AWI research projects in cooperation with Canada. The meeting was held together with the Arctic team of the German Foreign Office, which is currently revising the German government's Arctic policy.