• Members

    nutrients and carbonate chemistry parameters in the Fram Strait and the Central Arctic Ocean. To monitor such parameters in the ocean, it is common practice to analyze discrete water samples obtained e.g. by [...] productivity, strength of the biological carbon pump) are linked in the present-day and future Arctic ocean, as well as to which extent this relationship is driven by differences between functional groups [...] and where nutrients and CO 2 are distributed in the ocean, which has implications for primary and bacterial production and CO 2 uptake by the ocean. In order to understand how such biogeochemical cycles

  • FRAM-Geraete en

    change. The towed high resolution camera system OFOS (Ocean Floor Observing System) is used to index megafauna and plastic litter on the Arctic sea floor. ROV To observe the sea-ice system from below [...] Light is important for the surface energy budget and the biological activity in the ice & the upper ocean. Radiation stations determine the fraction of incident light which is reflected by the surface or [...] novelty in under-ice robotics. BioOptical Platform Sinking particles control CO2 transport to the deep ocean. AWI and MARUM researchers developed the BioOptical Platform BOP, which combines a camera system and

  • Phytoplankton Ecophysiology

    factors such as warming, nutrient deficiency or ocean acidification, by focusing on one of the most sensitive areas on Earth, the subarctic and Arctic Ocean. Thereby, we contribute to the Helmholtz research [...] greenhouse gas, rising CO 2 causes ocean warming: temperatures of the surface waters have already increased by 1.1°C on average, while some regions like the Arctic Ocean changing fastest (IPCC 2022). The [...] anthropogenic CO 2 is taken up by the ocean, concentrations of CO2 and bicarbonate increase while the concentration of carbonate ions and the pH decrease, also known as 'Ocean Acidification'. Just like warming

  • Long-term Meteorology

    this region, ocean currents from lower latitudes impact the sea water temperature, and the ocean is a heat storage affecting the local climate. Although Ny-Ålesund is situated in the high Arctic (78.9°N, 11 [...] Long Term Observations Surface Meteorology in the Arctic (AWIPEV Research Base in Ny-Ålesund, Spitsbergen) Ny-Ålesund from above. (Photo: Alfred Wegener Institut) Ny-Ålesund is located on a fjord at the [...] risen by 1.2° C per decade, while the strongest warming is observed during the winter season. The 'Arctic Amplification' of global warming is analysed under various aspects by measurements and model simulations

  • Long Term Observations

    (Neumayer-Station III) Infrasound (Neumayer-Station III) Biology North Sea Arctic (Fram and Svalbard) Antarctic Oceanography Arctic Time series Antarctic time series Terrestrial time series Samoylov Bayelva [...] terrestrial ecosystems and therefore mankind, is exceedingly difficult. The study of atmospheric, open ocean, deep sea or even processes in shallow coastal waters require sustained long-term observations often [...] position in that its scientists jointly generate a particularly large set of time series, in the Arctic, Antarctic as well as the North Sea. These data are used in the context of AWI research programmes

  • Climate refugee Cod

    Agreement is not achieved. Under conditions of further warming and acidification of the ocean, Atlantic cod and its arctic relative polar cod would be forced to look for new habitats in the far north. Their [...] dwindle. If so, this could be disastrous, as the polar cod is the most important food source for Arctic seals and seabirds. In addition, fishers could lose the world’s most productive area for catching

  • Ice-Tethered Profiler

    collected data can be used, for example, to study changes in the freshwater content of the upper Arctic Ocean, as in the NORTHATLANTIC project. Together with higher-precision data from ship-based expeditions [...] drifting measurement platforms that record vertical profiles of water mass properties in the ice-covered oceans. The systems are moored on the ice and measure temperature, salinity, and pressure in the upper 800 [...] online. The deployment of these autonomous measuring systems is coordinated through the International Arctic Buoy Programme. Contacts Dr. Benjamin Rabe +49(471)4831-2403 Benjamin Rabe@awi. Dr. Mario Hoppmann

  • RV Heincke expedition ends successfully

    funded by JPI Oceans and will create new knowledge and improve our mechanistic understanding of the sources, transport, occurrence, and fate of small microplastics from European waters to the Arctic. The consortium

  • Celebrating 40 Years of the Alfred Wegener Institute

    Anniversary
    40 years of research in the Arctic, Antarctic and in coastal regions: on 15 July, the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) celebrates its 40 th [...] and internationally recognised centre for climate research in the two polar regions and the world’s oceans.

  • MOSAiC Expedition

    An entire year trapped in the Arctic ice MOSAiC - Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate It is the largest-scale Arctic research expedition of all time: From autumn 2019 [...] research icebreaker Polarstern drifted through the Arctic Ocean, trapped in the ice. Participants from institutions from more than 20 countries studied the Arctic over the course of the year. They overwintered [...] other region has warmed as much as the Arctic in recent decades. Therefore, the MOSAiC project's goal was to reach a better understanding of the influence that the Arctic has on the global climate. Hence, it