• Long-term observations in the Arctic Ocean

    warming trend in the Arctic being about three times that of the global average, is also manifested in sea-ice and the ocean. We are establishing a strong baseline of important ocean quantities in a historically [...] S. (2016)An assessment of the Arctic Ocean in a suite of interannual CORE-II simulations. Part I: Sea ice and solid freshwater ,Ocean Modelling, 99 , pp. 110-132 .doi:10.1016/j.ocemod.2015.12.008 , hd [...] Bauch, D. , Rutgers v. d. Loeff, M. and Rabe, B. (2012)Utility of dissolved Barium in distinguishing North American from Eurasian runoff in the Arctic Ocean ,Marine Chemistry., 132 , pp. 1-14 .doi:10.1016/j

  • Development and dynamics of ice sheets

    important ones were the Laurentide Ice Sheet on North America, the Svalbard-Barents Sea Ice Sheet on Svalbard and on the subaerially exposed Barents Sea as well as the East Siberia-Chukchi Ice Sheet. During [...] sheets reached far into the Arctic Ocean, and signs of glacial overprint can be found as far north as at the North Pole. Many studies have shown that the onset of the Northern Hemisphere glaciation started [...] interest due to their sensitive response to global warming. Melting ice sheets would cause a significant sea-level rise which, in turn, would severely threaten low-lying coastal areas. In order to better understand

  • Svalbard-Barents Sea Ice Sheet

    Svalbard-Barents Sea Ice Sheet The Svalbard-Barents Sea Ice Sheet (SBSIS) covered not only the Svalbard Archipelago, but also large parts of the current Barents Sea. During strong glacials, it reached [...] which helps us to reconstruct past ocean currents from the iceberg drift. The Barents Sea - the ocean basin north of Scandinavia - was subaerially exposed until ca. 1 million years ago. The thick SBSIS [...] South, and Frans Josef Land and Novaya Zemlya towards east and southeast, reaching even into the Kara Sea. The thick ice mass shaped the buried landscape and left traces at many locations. Today, we are able

  • Gateways of the Southern Ocean

    Deepwater CDW) can be observed south of the ridge. North of the ridge a westsetting flow is prevailent. Sediment drifts have been formed parallel to and north of the Agulhas Ridge, which indicate the influence [...] (DP), the Scotia Sea, and the Falkland Plateau. The arrows schematically show the present pathways of Upper Circumpolar Deepwater (UCDW), Lower Circumpolar Deepwater (LCDW), Weddell Sea Deep Water (WSDW) [...] IOR= Islas Orcadas Rise, MEB= Maurice Ewing Bank, NGP= North Georgia Passage, SRP= Shag Rock Passage. The opening of Drake Passage and the Scotia Sea enabled the exchange of water masses between the southern

  • Bathymetry

    Arctic Ocean Madiba Sea Mount, south of South Africa, discovered 2013 with RV Polarstern Current-induced seabed structures at the Southern Mozambique Ridge Iceberg scours on the shelf north of Svalbard Contact

  • Research Focus

    microseisms - formation, propagation and interaction with sea ice What does the sound of the waves in the deep sea sound like? What do storms and sea ice have to do with it? This is what we are investigating [...] on the formation of the Arctic Ocean 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

  • Climate modelling

    global sea-level rise of up to seven metres. Moreover, the tremendous amounts of meltwater produced could influence ocean currents, sparking massive changes in the climate, especially in the North Atlantic [...] accurately simulates the past, it can also project the future, paving the way for forecasts on e.g. future sea-level rise or global warming. In this way, these models provide the scientific basis for formulating [...] floodwalls and levees are costly. That’s why it’s important to be able to estimate today how much the sea level will rise, or how much the intensity of hurricanes will increase, tomorrow. Climate modeling

  • MeerWissen Project ORIENTATE

    coasts of our seas have always been a natural and constant companion for the inhabitants. However, due to the climate crisis, they can increase dramatically and get out of hand. With rising sea levels and [...] an increase in extreme storms, severe erosion is taking place on many coasts - not only in the North Sea, but also in the Mediterranean. The island of Djerba, a popular vacation destination in Tunisia [...] activities. The Project objectives At the AWI with the Biological Institute Helgoland and the Wadden Sea Station Sylt as well as the University of Sfax in Tunisia, researchers are working on slowing down

  • Aerosols & Clouds

    conditions, in which liquid water droplets in the clouds protect the sea-ice surface from further cooling; on the other, clear skies, where the sea-ice surface can emit heat into space with very little interference [...] experiencing some of the most rapid climatic changes on Earth, manifesting in dramatic warming and loss of sea-ice at both poles. Key atmospheric contributions to the observed polar warming are transport and exchange [...] Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC) was a major year-long campaign in the Central Arctic Sea ice, using the research icebreaker Polarstern . MOSAiC was a large international effort spearheaded

  • Bluehouse

    and oceans - from the atmosphere to the bottom of the seas. At the Helgoland and Sylt sites, scientists from the Institute research the North Sea and its coasts. The excellent scientific infrastructure [...] future, visitors will be able to experience a unique exhibition ranging from the history of the North Sea to the future of marine research. Among other things, the focus will be on an 80,000-litre aquarium [...] researching on Helgoland? What animals and plants live in the waters around the island? How has the North Sea changed over time? And what impact will climate change have right on our doorstep in the future