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30 years of Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research - Ice, sea and climate – research to understand our Earth better
The Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research in the Helmholtz Association will be thirty years old on 15 July. Through its innovative scientific and excellent research infrastructure the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) has developed into one of the world’s leading internationally recognised centres for climate research on both polar regions and the oceans.
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Higher wetland methane emissions caused by climate warming 40,000 years ago
40,000 years ago rapid warming led to an increase in methane concentration. The culprit for this increase has now been identified. Mainly wetlands in high northern lati-tudes caused the methane increase, as discovered by a research team from the University of Bern and the German Alfred Wegener Institute.
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Sea ice in the Arctic does not recover
A critical minimum for Arctic sea ice can also be expected for late summer 2010. Scientists from the Alfred Wegener Institute and from KlimaCampus of the University of Hamburg have now published data in this context in the annual issue of Sea Ice Outlook.
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Scientists at Alfred Wegener Institute appointed to key positions for new IPCC Assessment Report
The IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) announced the authors and experts for its fifth Assessment Report in Geneva. They include Prof. Peter Lemke and Prof. Hans-Otto Pörtner from the Alfred Wegener Institute.
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Polarstern launches 25th Arctic expedition – research in Greenland Sea, Fram Strait and Baffin Bay
Tomorrow the Polarstern research vessel sets off on its 25th Arctic expedition. From Bremerhaven it will first set course for the Greenland Sea, where primarily oceanographic work is on the agenda. Over 120 scientists and technicians from six nations are taking part in the three legs of the expedition. The Polarstern is expected back in Bremerhaven on 10 October.
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How did higher life evolve?
Scientists have for the first time determined the complete genome sequence of a brown alga and opened a new door to the understanding of multicellularity and photosynthesis.
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Seal Bulls in the Service of Science
“Gustavo” is an imposing bull always in search of the best feeding grounds. The elephant seal weighing 3 tons and measuring 4 metres in length belongs to a group of 14 animals that serve researchers of the Alfred Wegener Institute as scientific assistants since recently.
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Research vessel Polarstern returns from the Antarctic – First expedition through entire polar South Pacific
On coming Monday, 17 May the research vessel Polarstern is expected back in Bremerhaven. That will mark the end of the 26th Antarctic expedition of the research icebreaker after over seven months covering more than 68,000 kilometres (37,000 nautical miles). The expedition was divided into four legs, in which over 150 scientists from 15 nations took part.
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How does ice flow? – Scientists from the Alfred Wegener Institute present first results of a new measurement method in Antarctica
Currently the yearly General Assembly of the European Geological Union takes place in Vienna, Austria. Dr. Olaf Eisen from the German Alfred Wegener Institute presents results from an environmentally friendly measurement method that he and his colleagues used on an Antarctic ice-shelf for the first time in early 2010. It supplies data that are input to models for the ice mass balance and thus permit better forecasting of future changes in the sea level.
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Bayer Climate Award 2010 for Professor Peter Lemke
Professor Peter Lemke of the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research in Bremerhaven has been awarded the 50,000 € “Bayer Climate Award 2010” by the Bayer Science & Education Foundation. He is being honoured for his groundbreaking research and pioneering contributions to the understanding of the role of sea ice in the climate system.
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