• The Arctic Ocean was never completely frozen – not even during the Ice Ages

    entire Arctic Ocean during the coldest phases of the Ice Ages. A new study, now published in Science Advances , questions this idea. The research team found no evidence of such a permanent, pan-Arctic ice [...] ice shelf. Instead, the Arctic Ocean appears to have been covered by seasonal sea ice, allowing open water—and life—to persist even during the harshest glacial periods of the past 750,000 years. This discovery [...] discovery sheds new light on how the Arctic has responded to climate extremes in the past—and how it may evolve in the future.

  • A significant amount of dissolved organic carbon in the Arctic Ocean comes from land

    melting more and more frozen ground in the Arctic. This dissolved matter contains large amounts of organic carbon which is flowing into the central Arctic ocean. In a new study, scientists led by Alfred [...] matter accumulates in the central Arctic Ocean. Using chemical fingerprints, they were able to assess how fast it degrades, thus releasing additional CO2 to the ocean. These findings are an important basis [...] basis to project how inputs from land affect Arctic marine ecosystems and the ability of the ocean to store CO2 in a warming climate. The results are published in the journal Nature Geoscience.

  • Fish and squid found in the Central Arctic Ocean

    in the middle of the Arctic Ocean. The results from Stockholm University, the Alfred Wegener Institute and colleagues in the European Fisheries Inventory in the Central Arctic Ocean (EFICA) Consortium are

  • Circulation in the Arctic Ocean and the Nordic Seas

    the Arctic Mediterranean. The Arctic Ocean freshwater budget The Arctic Ocean freshwater budget A particular feature of the Arctic Ocean is the enormous freshwater surplus. The upper Arctic Ocean receives [...] cover makes the Arctic Ocean distinct from subarctic oceans – the presence of ice, as well as ice formation and melt significantly shape the circulation and water masses of both the Arctic Ocean and the Nordic [...] Circulation in the Arctic Ocean and the Nordic Seas The Arctic Ocean and the Nordic Seas are integral parts of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation, and hence key regions for the global climate

  • Ocean Warming and Thawing Permafrost Reduce the Arctic Ocean's Biological Carbon Storage and CO2 Uptake

    The Arctic experiences some of the most rapid climate changes on the planet, resulting in significant sea-ice melt. This transformation exposed the Arctic Ocean to increasing sunlight, driving a 56% rise [...] nutrients and carbon into the Arctic Ocean, delivered from rivers and coastal erosion. While it might seem logical that these additional nutrients would enhance the ocean’s biological carbon pump, - boosting [...] ecosystem impoverishment are undermining the pump’s efficiency, challenging assumptions about the Arctic’s ability to store carbon in a warming world.

  • How is the Arctic Ocean changing? – Research vessel Polarstern launches expedition to Arctic Ocean

    Press release