Archive of News and Press Releases

Arctic warming

Dramatic warming in the Arctic

HALO-(AC)3 field campaign investigates a worrying phenomenon

[18. March 2022]  In mid-March 2022, there was a massive influx of warm air into the Arctic, with several unusual phenomena such as heavy rain over the sea ice and massive clouds reaching almost as high as in the tropics. The international research campaign HALO-(AC)3 is investigating the processes causing the above-average increase in temperatures in the Arctic during the last decades that is suspected to modify the regional weather in the mid-latitudes, as well.

New Publication

Using Satellites to Measure UV Light in the Ocean

Experts from the Alfred Wegener Institute and the University of Bremen show: new satellite sensors can improve the uncertainty of UV light data in the oceans

[17. March 2022]  Ultraviolet light from the sun has a critical influence on life in, and the chemistry of, our oceans. Consequently, these effects have to be reflected as accurately as possible in climate models, to deliver accurate forecasts. Experts from the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) and the Institute of Environmental Physics (IUP) at the University of Bremen have now succeeded in using readings taken by the TROPOMI sensor on board the satellite Sentinel-5P to calculate the diffusion of UV light in the oceans.

Expedition success

After more than 100 years: The Endurance has been found!

International expedition was able to locate and survey the wreck in Antarctica for the first time

[09. March 2022]  At the beginning of February, an international expedition team set off for Antarctica to find Sir Ernest Shackleton's ship - the Endurance - which sank in the Weddell Sea in 1915. Three weeks after the start, the team was able to locate the previously lost wreck. Researchers from the Alfred Wegener Institute were also on board.

Southern Ocean

Iron and manganese jointly influence phytoplankton growth in the Southern Ocean

The scarcity of two trace metals limit growth of certain species

[04. March 2022]  The Southern Ocean stores 40 percent of the carbon dioxide that we humans produce - more than any other ocean on Earth. Phytoplankton is one of the main reasons for that: The microorganisms take up CO2 during photosynthesis. But although the Southern Ocean is rich in nutrients that support their growth, there is little phytoplankton there. One reason for this is a lack of iron in the water. However, a recent study by the Alfred Wegener Institute, the University of Bremen and Bremerhaven in the journal Nature Communications Biology, now shows that manganese also plays a crucial role for…

Further Education

“klimafit” – Learning About Climate Change at Our Doorstep

Courses on social decision-making and responsibility in climate protection rolled out nationwide as part of the National Climate Initiative

[01. March 2022]  Rising temperatures, extreme weather events like heavy rain and storms – climate change is becoming more and more visible, and Germany is no exception. In this regard, every region faces its own unique challenges. With the course “klimafit”, the goal of the Helmholtz Climate Initiative REKLIM, the WWF Germany and the Universität Hamburg is to prepare citizens for the effects of climate change at their doorstep. As part of the National Climate Initiative, the course will receive 2.2 million euros of funding over three years. In March 2022, the next round of courses will begin at 128…

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5

Page