The Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI), is a German research organization primarily focused on polar and marine research in the Arctic, Antarctic, and oceanic regions. Named after Alfred Wegener, the geophysicist and meteorologist who developed the theory of continental drift, the institute was established in 1980. It aims to understand the role of the polar seas and regions in the Earth’s climate system. AWI conducts comprehensive studies on the atmosphere, ice sheets, ocean currents, and ecosystems to assess changes in the environment and their implications for the planet. Researchers at AWI also focus on biological diversity, geological processes, and the impact of climate change on polar regions. The institute operates research stations, ships, aircraft, and employs state-of-the-art equipment, making significant contributions to global climate research and providing critical data for international environmental policy.
Experts from AWI have not discovered any evidence of a global climate tipping point related to permafrost; instead, they observe that permafrost soils are thawing…
New AWI research reveals that jellyfish in the Arctic Ocean are benefiting from climate change and expanding further north. Climate change is exerting immense pressure…
Ocean sediment cores reveal climate-related fluctuations in the Antarctic Circumpolar Current in past epochs. The Antarctic Circumpolar Current significantly influences the global overturning circulation, the…
Are you a sports enthusiast or a homebody? Punctual or perpetually tardy? The animal kingdom also exhibits a variety of personalities, each with distinct behaviors…
Under the 79° N-Glacier, melt rates have been measured at 130 meters per year. Measurements from land-based instruments and airplane-mounted radars in Greenland’s far northeast…
Researchers at the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) have created simulations of ocean currents beneath the ice of the 79° North Glacier in northeast Greenland. The…
AWI research team shows that jellyfish play an important, previously unknown role in the diet of amphipods during the polar night. The Arctic is changing…
Climate change is affecting the seasonal vertical migration of zooplankton in the Arctic, according to a new study. Increasing Arctic sea ice melting allows sunlight…
Melosira arctica has ten times higher concentration of plastic particles than surrounding seawater. The alga Melosira arctica, which grows under Arctic sea ice, contains ten times…
In the depths of the ocean, along tectonic plate boundaries, hydrothermal vents emit hot fluids. These fluids lack oxygen and are rich in metals like…
A recent scientific study, based on updated ice core data, reveals that the high temperatures in central and northern Greenland are unprecedented when compared to…
Scientists discover a new pathway for the movement of carbon-rich materials from productive Arctic coastal waters to the deep ocean. Every year, the transfer of…
A new dataset provides an important glimpse into Arctic ecosystems. A major new project will help to monitor biodiversity change in the Arctic Ocean and…
Research shows that only ambitious climate protection measures can still save a third of the tundra. Temperatures in the Arctic are climbing rapidly as a…
In a new study, an international team of researchers investigates the atmosphere as a relevant source of plastic pollution in our planet’s waters. According to…
A new AWI-led study shows: there is now a concerning degree of plastic pollution in the Arctic Ocean. Even the High North can’t escape the…
AWI experts confirm the delayed spread of the ice sheet 35 million years ago. Roughly 35 million years ago, Earth cooled rapidly. At roughly the…
Single Atlantic cod and squid can be found far further north than previously thought. In the midst of the Arctic Ocean, in deep water, scientists…