Research Focus - AWI

Formation of the Arctic Basin

Polarstern for geophysics in the Arctic Ocean

Research projects on the formation of the Arctic Ocean

Connection of the Arctic Ocean to the World Oceans

What have we learned about the connection of the Arctic Ocean to the other oceans?

Development of the North Atlantic Deepwater and its precursors

What do we know about the development of North Atlantic Deepwater and its precursors? Follow this link

Gateways of the Southern Ocean

What was the effect of the opening of the gateways of the Southern Ocean?

Lakes as a climate archives

Old lake-level terraces at the current shore — Old lake-level terraces at the current shore (Photo: Catalina Gebhardt)

Find our lacustrine projects on this page...

Transition from the Cretaceous Greenhouse to the Tertiary Icehouse

What initiated the transition from the Cretaceous hot climate to the Tertiary cold climate? We contribute to solving this question.

Development and dynamic of ice sheets

Our projects on developments and dynamics of ice sheets can be found here...

Geodynamic processes

Large Igneous Provinces

Our research on the development of Large Igneous Provinces can be found here...

Observatories and long-term observations

follow this link to the research at our observatories

Compilations of bathymetric data

Madiba Sea Mount, south of South Africa, discovered 2013 with RV Polarstern — Madiba Sea Mount, south of South Africa, discovered 2013 with RV Polarstern (Graphic: Jan Erik Arndt)

Follow this link to our global and regional bathymetric models...

popular hypothesis on plate tectonics