changed with them. When it comes to surviving in the Arctic, it’s a whole new ball game. Arctic sea ice at sunrise (Photo: Stefan Hendricks) The Arctic Ocean Unlike at the southern tip of the planet, in the [...] continent, only an ocean. These waters, also known as the Arctic Ocean, extend to the northern coasts of Scandinavia, Russia, North America and Greenland. They lie completely within the Arctic Circle and are [...] Pole, the Arctic magnetic pole and the Arctic geomagnetic pole. Measuring 4,000 kilometres long, 2,400 kilometres wide and covering an area of roughly 14 million square kilometres, the Arctic Ocean is the

Topics All Biodiversity Ice Sea Climate Regions All Arctic Antarctic North Sea Biodiversity Climate Arctic Arctic Species in Climate Change The Arctic is a habitat for specialists. Species living in the [...] conditions in the Arctic have changed more rapidly than in virtually any other ecosystem on the planet. Find out more Ice Climate Sea Arctic Antarctic Sea Ice Broad expanses of the Arctic Ocean and the Southern [...] Southern Ocean in the Antarctic are covered in sea ice. The ice plays a vital role in our climate system and is an important component of Arctic and Antarctic habitats. Find out more Sea Climate Arctic Antarctic

under the snow and ice cover of the Arctic Ocean. The results of the study now published in the journal Nature Communications show that photosynthesis in the ocean is possible under much lower light conditions [...] low light levels. This is the result of an international study that investigated the development of Arctic microalgae at the end of the polar night. The measurements were carried out as part of the MOSAiC

For the past 25 years, the Alfred Wegener Institute has operated a long-term observatory in the Arctic deep sea: the HAUSGARTEN. Located between Greenland and Svalbard, it is where researchers investigate [...] investigate natural and climate-change-related changes in a polar, marine ecosystem – from the ocean’s surface to the seafloor, 5,500 metres below. Many of the observatory’s stations are located below the sea

under pressure. However, jellyfish in the world’s oceans could actually benefit from the rising water temperatures – also and especially in the Arctic Ocean, as researchers from the Alfred Wegener Institute [...] Institute have now successfully shown. In computer models, they exposed eight widespread Arctic jellyfish species to rising temperatures, sea ice retreat and other changing environmental conditions. The result: [...] triple the size of its habitat – with potentially dramatic consequences for the marine food web and Arctic fish populations. The study was just released in the journal Limnology and Oceanography.

The role of clouds and warm air masses from the open ocean for the rapid warming of the Arctic is at the heart of a recent Alfred Wegener Institute project on Svalbard. The researchers are applying a new

Ocean Eddies
In a new study, researchers from the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) investigated the long-term changes in the Arctic Ocean eddy activity [...] study reveals a remarkable surge in Arctic eddy activity in a warmer climate, a trend that is probably unparalleled when compared to other regions across the global ocean.

After eventful and busy months, the Arctic season ends this weekend with the Polarstern expedition called ArcWatch-1. The team of almost 100 crew and scientists measured sea ice thickness and properties [...] properties, recorded the currents and chemical properties of the ocean and investigated life in and under the ice, in the open water and at the bottom of the deep sea. Their data show significant changes compared [...] on 20 September there was the world's first livestream of an ROV under-ice dive from the Central Arctic.

Due to intensifying sea-ice melting in the Arctic, sunlight is now penetrating deeper and deeper into the ocean. Since marine zooplankton respond to the available light, this is also changing their behaviour