New Study
Close links between Europe and the Arctic
In addition to warm-air intrusions in the Arctic, the clouds there play an important part in shaping our weather and climate
Warm, moist air masses from the lower latitudes are the main energy source for the Arctic atmosphere in winter; they have a significant influence on soil temperatures and can produce sea-ice melting. Because climate and weather models still have considerable difficulties when it comes to accurately depicting key processes involved in the transformation of these air masses, AWI researchers recently summarised the current state of knowledge and identified remaining gaps; their study has just been released in the journal Nature Geoscience.
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Marine Litter
"We need to make fundamental changes"
AWI experts discuss the EU ban on disposable plastics
The EU wants to ban single-use, disposable products such as drinking straws and ear swabs, the goal being to reduce the amount of plastic litter in our oceans. We discussed this initiative with two experts from the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) – Dr Melanie Bergmann and Dr Lars Gutow.
Weddell Sea MPA
Negotiations regarding an Antarctic Marine Protected Area
International Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) rejects MPA proposal for this year
UPDATE from 6 November 2018:
At this year’s annual meeting of the international Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), negotiations continued regarding a proposed Marine Protected Area (MPA) in the Weddell Sea. Researchers from the Alfred Wegener Institute were instrumental in preparing the application for protected status, which was submitted in 2016. Unfortunately, this year’s negotiations were unsuccessful.
Arctic Science Ministerial
Politicians put the focus on Arctic research
Germany, the European Commission and Finland organise two-day conference
On 25 and 26 October, the spotlight in Berlin will be on Arctic research. On the first day, the focus will be on the Arctic Science Forum, where experts from 20 nations, representatives of indigenous peoples, and NGOs will meet to discuss international collaboration in the context of Arctic research. On the second day, the 2nd Arctic Science Ministerial will convene, followed by public events that will round out the conference.
Arctic Expedition
Polarstern returns from geo-expedition in the Arctic
Rock samples from the ocean floor, likely several million years old, recovered
This morning, the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) research icebreaker Polarstern returned to her homeport in Bremerhaven. Over the previous six weeks, nearly 100 contributing researchers and crewmembers had engaged in geoscientific fieldwork, sea-ice experiments and meteorological research in the Central Arctic. In addition, students from the German-Canadian graduate training programme ArcTrain were on board.
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