News
Contact Communications + Media Relations
Database with AWI Experts
Subscribe for press releases as RSS
How microbes use ancient carbon
How is carbon metabolized and processed in different ecosystems? In a recent study published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment, researchers led by Joely Maak, the study’s first author and researcher in the Cluster of Excellence “The Ocean Floor – Earth’s Uncharted Interface”, examined the carbon cycle in a unique marine ecosystem.
Find out more
![[Translate to English:] Wetterballon](/fileadmin/_processed_/a/f/csm_20120905_Neumayer__SC87926_SChristmann_95cfd8ec36.jpg "[Translate to English:] Wetterballon")
Antarctic Research Trends Report 2025
German research on Antarctic topics is at the forefront internationally. This is shown by the recently published “Antarctic Research Trends Report 2025,” which evaluated around 30,000 academic publications on Antarctica and the Southern Ocean from 2016 to 2024. For example, Germany ranks third behind the US and the UK in terms of publications produced in international cooperation, and fifth in terms of total number of publications. The publications of AWI researchers contribute significantly to this. They consistently rank in the top 10 in the…
Ice loss due to warm seawater
A study led by the British Antarctic Survey, in which AWI geoscientist Johann Klages also participated as co-author, has concluded that the retreat of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet since the end of the last Ice Age around 18,000 years ago has been largely driven by warm seawater, not air. Analysis of sediment cores from the Amundsen Sea continental shelf shows that the ice retreated significantly whenever warm deep water reached the ice shelves. This process is accelerating the melting of the ice sheet once again today. In the area of the Thwaites and…
Major Knowledge Gaps in Understanding the Ocean Carbon Sink
The ocean currently absorbs around 25% of human‑produced CO2, thus slowing down global warming. Climate change, however, is altering this important service. Yet, it is not possible to say exactly how the carbon sink in the ocean will develop in the coming decades, as there is a lack of important scientific data from some of the world's oceans. This is the conclusion of the UNESCO's Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission in its latest report to which Prof Judith Hauck from the Alfred Wegener Institute contributed.
Find out more
On Expedition app
The new On Expedition app makes it possible to experience science up close. It brings together scientific reporting from polar research by combining posts from the research vessel Polarstern during its expeditions with from the Neumayer station III in Antarctica. The web app now provides access to up-to-date information on expeditions, overwintering at Neumayer Station III, and insights into research conducted under extreme environmental conditions. To the On Expedition app.
How do clouds form in Antarctica? The first flight-based aerosol measurements in 20 years
Antarctica plays a crucial role in the Earth’s climate system by reflecting solar radiation back into space. The large white ice surfaces and clouds play a decisive role in this process. However, how clouds actually form in Antarctica, how they interact with the atmosphere and what role aerosols play in this process has not been sufficiently researched to date. Engaging in the SANAT flight campaign, the Alfred Wegener Institute, the Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research and the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry aim to help close this knowledge…
Find out more
![[Translate to English:] Die Mitglieder des On Ice Teams](/fileadmin/_processed_/6/8/csm_Die_29_Mitglieder_des_On_Ice_Teams_links_unten_Arne_Ulfers_credit-Ana-Tovey-SWAIS2C_f091edadac.jpg "The members of the On Ice Team")
Record-breaking drilling under the Ross Ice Shelf
An international team of researchers has drilled the longest sediment core (228 m) to date under the Ross Ice Shelf in West Antarctica – some 700 kilometers away from the nearest research station. The samples obtained will provide insights into times when the West Antarctic Ice Sheet melted during the last 23 million years, covering periods when the Earth was warmer and richer in CO2 than it is today. The West Antarctic Ice Sheet contains enough ice to raise global sea levels by up to five meters. Several German institutes are involved in the SWAIS2C…
Find out more
TEDx Talk: Stars of Polar Night
AWI photographer Esther Horvath was a guest at the TEDx Talk on February 9 with her presentation “Stars of Polar Night”. She shared insights into her work in the Arctic and Antarctic, as well as at the AWIPEV research station in Ny-Ålesund. With personal experiences and striking photos captured during the polar night, she illustrates how scientists conduct research in one of the most remote regions on Earth. Watch the talk.
Live broadcast from Antarctica
A team from the Deutsches Theater has embarked on a journey to Antarctica to produce a theatre play there. Director Jan-Christoph Gockel, cameraman Lion Bischof, and actors Julia Gräfner and Wolfram Koch are living and working at Neumayer Station III for four weeks to experience Antarctica up close and ultimately share their experiences with audiences in the play “POLARIS.” An event gave the audience a first taste of the play with a live link to Antarctica. More information.
Prof. Dr Hajo Eicken appointed new director of the Alfred Wegener Institute
On 20 March 2026, the glaciologist will take over as scientific director of the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). To date, he has been active as the director of the International Arctic Research Center at the University of Alaska in Fairbanks.
Find out more