The scarcely explored region to the north of Greenland was the area of study in the last of three Arctic expeditions undertaken by the Polarstern since the end of May 2025. In the largely untraveled waters [...] oceanographer Torsten Kanzow of the Alfred Wegener Institute were able to collect unique data on ocean circulation in the area. A chain of six moorings was also deployed to conduct autonomous measurements

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

have now shown, the ocean may weaken warming around Antarctica and delay sea-ice retreat. Given that many models are not capable of accurately reflecting this factor and the role of ocean eddies, the study [...] Climate Research
Despite global warming and the sea-ice loss in the Arctic, the Antarctic sea-ice extent has remained largely unchanged since 1979. However, existing climate model-based simulations

transfer in Arctic Marginal Ice Zones: ( www.mare-incognitum.no/index.php/cleopatra-ii ) Transdrift: The transpolar system of the Arctic Ocean: ( www.transdrift.info ) Fram: Frontiers in Arctic Monitoring [...] warming, the inflow of Atlantic water into the Arctic increases, and this may lead to a shift in the dominant species which may have severe consequences for the Arctic food web. Copepod (Photo: T. Scherzinger) [...] physiological responses of dominant species to climate chance to predict their role in the future Arctic Ocean. Feeding biology and trophic interactions of key species Who feeds who“ is one of the major factors

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

Sea Ice
The Arctic sea ice continues to dwindle: Since the 1970s, when satellites first began monitoring the white sheet covering the Arctic Ocean, its February extent was never as small as it was this [...] this year. The reason: warm air intrusions, which are not only hitting the Arctic more frequently, but are also intensifying and reaching farther north.

, e.g. in water bodies, the soil and the air. Via ocean currents and rivers, the tiny plastic particles can even reach the Arctic, Antarctic or ocean depths. A new overview study has now shown that wind [...] the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies in Potsdam, and the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research in Kiel – describes how microplastic finds its way into the atmosphere and how it is subsequently

Arctic Sea Ice
The sea-ice extent in the Arctic is nearing its annual minimum at the end of the melt season in September. Only circa 3.9 million square kilometres of the Arctic Ocean are covered by

br>How do you successfully pilot a remote-controlled helicopter in the remote expanses of the Arctic Ocean when the compass can’t provide reliable positioning data? Engineers on board the Alfred Wegener

Research aircraft from the Alfred Wegener Institute have been surveying the ice-covered Arctic Ocean for 30 years. The immense effort of the past 52 expeditions has paid off: 40,000 km of measurement data [...] aeroplane- and helicopter-based measurement series in the world that has been carried out in the Arctic over such a long period. Currently, two Basler BT-67 aircraft are in operation: the Polar 5 and Polar