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The alga Melosira arctica, which grows under Arctic sea ice, contains ten times as many microplastic particles as the surrounding seawater. This concentration at the base of the food web poses a threat to creatures that feed on the algae at the sea surface. Clumps of dead algae also transport the plastic with its pollutants particularly quickly into the deep sea - and can thus explain the high microplastic concentrations in the sediment there. Researchers led by the Alfred Wegener Institute have now reported this in the journal Environmental Science and…

Anthropogenic climate change has, together with the intensive use and destruction of natural ecosystems through agriculture, fishing and industry, sparked an unprecedented loss of biodiversity that continues to worsen. In this regard, the climate crisis and biodiversity crisis are often viewed as two separate catastrophes. An international team of researchers led by Hans-Otto Pörtner from the Alfred Wegener Institute calls for adopting a new perspective. In their review study just released in the journal Science, they recommend (in addition to complying…

Wie bedenklich sind die Munitionsreste zweier Weltkriege, die noch immer in alten Wracks am Grund der Nordsee und anderen Meeren liegen?

The demolition now underway on Helgoland will make room for construction of the BLUEHOUSE, which will offer a uniquely interactive permanent exhibition on marine research. Its 600 square metres of exhibition space will be home to various exhibits designed to promote learning and discovery.

For several years, a team of researchers from the Alfred Wegener Institute used underwater microphones to listen for seals at the edge of the Antarctic. Their initial findings, just released in the journal Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, indicate that sea-ice retreat has had significant effects on the animals’ behaviour: when the ice disappears, areas normally full of vocalisations become very quiet.

Polarstern returned to her home port of Bremerhaven with the morning tide today after a seven month Antarctic expedition and is now being unloaded. The ship will spend the next few weeks at Lloyd Werft for routine maintenance and repairs before departing for the Arctic again at the end of May.

In a large-scale experiment that has just begun on the island of Helgoland, a team of 30 researchers is testing to which extent the ocean is able to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero. In mesocosms, free-floating closed experimental facilities, the group investigates whether the ocean can absorb more carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere through the addition of slaked lime and what influence this has on plankton communities in the sea. The experiment is part of the research consortium RETAKE of the research mission “Marine carbon sinks…

A previously underestimated risk lurks in the frozen soil of the Arctic. When the ground thaws and becomes unstable in response to climate change, it can lead to the collapse of industrial infrastructure, and in turn to the increased release of pollutants. Moreover, contaminations already present will be able to more easily spread throughout ecosystems. A team led by Moritz Langer and Guido Grosse from the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) in Potsdam investigated the potential scale of this problem. According to their findings, there are at least 13,000 to…

The AWI's Communication & Media Unit has been awarded by Informationsdienst Wissenschaft e.V. (idw) for the Science Press Release of the Year 2022. The AWI press release 'World's largest fish breeding area discovered in Antarctica' took second place in the competition. The idw award recognises press releases that stand out for their high level of technical professionalism, outstanding news value and scientific relevance. The award ceremony took place in Munich today.

Every year, the waters of the polar regions are still covered by sheets of ice for weeks or months on end. But this sea ice is increasingly disappearing due to climate change. A glimpse into our planet’s past now reveals the dramatic effects this can have for regional ecosystems: during the seasonal transition from ice-covered to ice-free conditions, the entire biotic community can change. This was the main conclusion arrived at by a team from the Alfred Wegener Institute in Potsdam, based on an analysis of ancient DNA from the ocean floor. These changes…