Archive of News and Press Releases
Alfred Wegener Institute Now Also Represented in Lower Saxony
As of 1 January 2021, Lower Saxony is part of the federal and state financing for the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). The inclusion of the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity, co-founded with the University of Oldenburg in 2017, means that there are now AWI sites in four states.
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On the way into the ice!
It is quite unusual for an expedition to the southern Weddell Sea to do the first station already one week after departure. The test station, still away from sea ice, turns out to be a tough exercise, since parts of our equipment show peculiarities, which can cause problems during the cruise.
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Symposium: How relevant is design in crisis situations?
On Friday, 12.02.2021, the Folkwang University of the Arts organized an online symposium on the topic “Emergency – How relevant is design in crisis situations?”. The students took a closer look at the relationship of art and design to crises and set up a diverse program on the day of the symposium. AWI Director Prof. Dr Antje Boetius also participated with a lecture entitled “Designing the path to future”.
![[Translate to English:] Bundesverdeinstkreuz für Arktisforscher](/fileadmin/_processed_/0/d/csm_20130930_HubbertenGrigoriew_01_4b271e14dd.jpg)
Federal Cross of Merit for polar researchers from Russia and Potsdam
Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier awarded Prof. Dr. Hans-Wolfgang Hubberten and Prof. Dr. Michail Nikolaewitsch Grigoriev the Federal Cross of Merit 1st Class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany in recognition of their longstanding work in the field of German-Russian cooperation.
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MOSAiC talk at the SMM
MOSAiC expedition leader Markus Rex gave a lecture on the Arctic research expedition at the SMM. The trade fair is considered the world's leading trade fair for the maritime industry and was held as a purely digital conference for the first time this year. The patron of SMM Digital was the Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel. The MOSAiC lecture is available online.
We left for a while!
Prior to publishing the first weekly report, on behalf of the whole COSMUS team I would like to thank all members of the Logistic Department of the Alfred Wegener Institute, because without their unconditional support this expedition would not have been possible.
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The Marine Soundscape and Anthropogenic Noise
Due to construction work in the sea, shipping, and gas and oil extraction, the oceans are becoming increasingly louder. A comprehensive international study has now shown that this noise affects the behaviour of far more animal species than previously assumed. The researchers call for us to listen closely to the ocean and to finally regulate noise worldwide. Viable technological solutions are already available.
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The Arctic Ocean was covered by a shelf ice and filled with freshwater
The Arctic Ocean was covered by up to 900 m thick shelf ice and was filled entirely with freshwater at least twice in the last 150,000 years. This surprising finding, reported in the latest issue of the journal Nature, is the result of long-term research by scientists from the Alfred Wegener Institute and the MARUM. With a detailed analysis of the composition of marine deposits, the scientists could demonstrate that the Arctic Ocean as well as the Nordic Seas did not contain sea-salt in at least two glacial periods. Instead, these oceans were filled with…
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![[Translate to English:] Polarstern-Winterexperiment](/fileadmin/_processed_/2/d/csm_20130706_AWECS_ANT29_6_422_MarioHoppmann_e5c2e60b5f.jpg "Polarstern in Weddell Sea")
Climate Research in the Southern Ocean
The Alfred Wegener Institute has risen to the challenge of undertaking an expedition to the Weddell Sea in the Antarctic under pandemic conditions. Consequently, the participants in this year’s first Polarstern expedition will be able to resume their long-term measurements in the Southern Ocean, gathering data that forms the basis for our understanding of polar processes and for urgently needed climate forecasts.
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One-two punch against corals: how stress factors interact
A new study in the prestigious journal Science Advances shows that stress from rising water temperatures reduces ability of corals to adapt to ocean acidification.
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