ice influence the observed variability of Arctic and Antarctic sea ice? How do variations in melt and freeze rates impact the ocean and the atmosphere in the Arctic and Antarctic? What are the consequences [...] polar ocean due to Arctic sea ice retreat? We apply, improve, and develop various methods to study sea ice and snow processes in both hemispheres, including the interaction of atmosphere and ocean. Contact [...] are the reasons for the dramatic changes in Arctic sea ice during the last decades? Why is the development of sea ice in the Antarctic so different to the Arctic and shows strong regional differences? How

Nature Scientific Reports
The ice-covered Arctic Ocean is a more important factor concerning the concentration of the greenhouse gas methane in the atmosphere than previously assumed. Experts from the [...] Research (AWI) report on the newly discovered interactions between the atmosphere, sea ice and the ocean in a recent online study in the journal Nature’s Scientific Reports.

greenhouse gas loading scenarios. The mass balance of Arctic sea ice is therefore determined not only by changes in the energy balance of the coupled ice-ocean-atmosphere system but also by the increasing influence [...] influence of dynamic effects. One aspect of the mass balance of Arctic sea ice are changes of ice volume export rates through major gates of the Arctic, such as Fram Strait. The Sea Ice Physics group investigates [...] Sea Ice Thickness - Mass Balance The Arctic sea ice extent and thickness have undergone dramatic changes in the past decades: The summer sea ice extent is declining at an annual rate of approximately 12

Sea ice motion and deformation Sea ice can be found in the Arctic and Antarctic, but also for example in the Gulf of Bothnia and Finland, is very dynamic. The drift velocities of individual ice floes or [...] other deformation features have a major impact on the interaction between the atmosphere, sea ice and ocean. They also pose dangers for ship traffic. Among other things, our work focuses on the improvement [...] landscape in the Lena delta (© NASA / Landsat , 2000) (Photo: Alfred Wegener Institut) Charting the Arctic Tundra Polynias Terra Nova Bay Polynia (© NSIDC / Modis, 2013) (Photo: Alfred Wegener Institut)

seriously impacted the sea-ice cover: in the Russian Arctic (the sector from 30 to 180° East), roughly 1 million square kilometres less of the ocean is covered with ice than in the past seven years.
[...] Sea Ice
The Arctic sea-ice extent is the lowest it’s ever been in July since the beginning of satellite observation. The sea-ice retreat is especially pronounced off the Siberian coast, as a result

speed of several millimetres to centimetres per year (plate tectonics). So-called mid-oceanic ridges run through the oceans. In these zones magma rises from the Earth’s interior to the surface, cools down there [...] magma again. A region in which new seafloor continuously forms is, for instance, Gakkel Ridge in the Arctic. This is a submarine mountain range whose northern foothills extend from the northeast tip of Greenland

Seismology in (sub)polar oceans Contact Prof. Dr. Vera Schlindwein Seismology in stormy oceans In the stormy „Furious Fifties“ we succeeded for the first time to recover ocean bottom seismometers after [...] when the ice cover is almost 100% (Expedition PS137 of RV Polarstern). The data show that the Arctic Ocean offers good recording conditions for earthquakes due to the unprecedentedly low seismic noise [...] originating at the Southwest Indian Ridge now provide unprecedented insight into the formation of new ocean lithosphere. Lucky OBS recovery in snowy darkness Getting help with OBS recovery Seismology under

a seismic station on sea ice Seismic station installed on drifting sea ice In the ice-covered Arctic Ocean we also use seismic land stations deployed on drifting ice floes to record small earthquakes.

calved from an ice shelf or glacier, it drifted, mainly forced by the wind and the ocean currents, through the ocean – sometimes surrounded by open water, sometimes surrounded by sea ice. The automated [...] polar regions Sea Ice Drift and Deformation Drift and deformation of sea ice Permafrost Charting the Arctic Tundra Polynias Observation of coastal polynias Snow Accumulation Retrieval of snow accumulation

production. In addition, ocean warming is leading to changes in the winter mixed layer in the North Atlantic, which has reduced the amount of silica entering the Arctic Ocean in recent decades. This will [...] the consequences of silica decline for the Arctic marine ecosystem and the mechanisms responsible. To understand how climate change affects the Arctic Ocean, we will combine novel and classical approaches [...] Group Silicic acid Decline Effect on Marine Arctic Ecosystems SideEFFECT (Graphic: Mar Fernández-Méndez) Human-induced climate change is altering the ocean on a previously unimaginable scale. One of the