News

Arctic Marine Ecosystems Still Under Pressure

Research team releases new overview of the ecological impacts of climate change in Arctic seas

[06. February 2023]  A massive ecological change is underway in the Arctic. Due to rising water temperatures, many Arctic fish species are retreating farther and farther north, while species from more temperate latitudes are increasingly being sighted off the coasts of Greenland and Svalbard. Experts from Kiel University, the University of Tromsø, and the AWI have now analysed scientific publications on the ecological impacts of climate change in Arctic seas released in the past ten years.

Professor Antje Boetius is “University Teacher of the Year”

The prize, which is awarded by the German Association of University Professors and Lecturers (DHV), honors AWI director as “an advocate of the oceans and outstanding communicator of science.”

[19. December 2022]  The German Association of University Professors and Lecturers Antje Boetius as an excellent, multiple-award-winning scientist who uses extensive field research to examine the effects of climate change on the oceans and the diversity of life in the deep sea. Thanks to her research, Boetius is “an advocate of the oceans” who urges close international cooperation and is committed to promoting future-proof climate, nature, and environmental protection.

EU-Project

EU initiative "DestinE": “Digital Twin” of the Earth

AWI participates in a major European contract for adaptation to climate change

[10. December 2022]  The “Destination Earth” (DestinE) initiative from the EU Commission aims to create a high-resolution digital model of the Earth to support climate change adaptation policies and decision-making for reducing the impacts of extremes. Numerous European authorities, climate research institutions and supercomputing centers are involved in the project. Alfred Wegener Institute is participating in DestinE with its ocean model FESOM, which efficiently simulates ocean currents and sea ice and can selectively depict individual key regions in a higher resolution.

Fisheries Agreement for the Central Arctic

First meeting of the parties to the Agreement to Prevent Unregulated High Seas Fisheries in the Central Arctic Ocean

[23. November 2022]  We know little about the fish stocks in the central Arctic Ocean, and what we know about the local ecosystem is insufficient to ensure sustainable management. In response, in 2021 the Agreement to Prevent Unregulated High Seas Fisheries in the Central Arctic Ocean – which includes a moratorium on fishing in the region – entered into force. The first conference of the parties starts in Seoul (South Korea) today.

Loss of Ice Can Increase the Atmospheric CO2 Concentration

[23. November 2022]  With the retreat of ice sheets during the transition from the last glacial period to the current interglacial, massive amounts of old organic material were released and found their way into the ocean. The release of old carbonaceous material from the land has raised the atmospheric CO2 concentration by as much as 12 ppm. These findings were just released by researchers from the Alfred Wegener Institute in the journal Nature Communications.

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