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Krillfischereischiff im Südozean
16. June 2025
Press release

Krill fishing in the Antarctic: overlaps with consequences

Antarctic krill is a key species in the Antarctic marine ecosystem: it is an important food source for many species, such as whales, seals and penguins. However, the small crustaceans are increasingly becoming the focus of fishing, which can incur significant consequences for the entire Southern Ocean ecosystem. Therefore, concepts that minimize the negative effects of fishing on the krill themselves and on the animals that feed on krill are required urgently. A research team from the Alfred Wegener Institute and the Norwegian Institute of Marine…
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Group photo
16. June 2025
Short news

Antarctica Insync at Ocean Conference

At this year's UN Ocean Conference in Nice, AWI scientists Antje Boetius, Nicole Biebow and Alexander Haumann presented the international Antarctic research project “Antarctica Insync” to the scientific community. On board the research vessel Meteor, researchers exchanged ideas on the topic of “Polar Oceans, Climate and Biodiversity: Advancing Synergies and Sustainability of International Science Collaboration!”. In addition to Antarctica Insync, the POLARIN and Tara Polar Drift projects were also presented.
Blck über das Meer
12. June 2025
Online news

What is the state of the AMOC?

An international initiative is investigating whether the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation has reached a tipping point and what the consequences would be. AWI researchers are also involved.
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Standing tables in front of the AWI building at the 25th Arctic Dialogue in Potsdam
05. June 2025
Online news

Germany starts gearing up for the 2032/33 polar year

The 25th Arctic Dialogue at the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) in Potsdam focused on international cooperation in polar research. The dialogue placed a particular emphasis on the upcoming fifth International Polar Year, which is scheduled for 2032/33. Representatives from research, politics and national and international organisations discussed the scientific, social and geopolitical perspectives of this major project.
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Turn Off The Plastic Tap
02. June 2025
Press release

Plastic Credits May Worsen Plastic Problem

The world produces more than 460 million tons of plastic every year. Plastics are made from a wide variety of chemicals and polymers that are almost exclusively derived from fossil fuels. When they end up in the environment, they can cause lasting damage to us humans, the climate and our ecosystems. Plastics can now be found in even the remotest parts of our planet and throughout the human body. One approach currently being advocated as a way out of the crisis is plastic credits. An international consortium of experts, led by Sangcheol Moon of the…
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[Translate to English:] Unterwegs
28. May 2025
Press release

How climate change is altering the Arctic Ocean

On 29 May 2025, the Polarstern research vessel set sail from Bremerhaven for the Arctic. The destination of the 95 expedition participants, led by the Alfred Wegener Institute, is the AWI Hausgarten, a long-term observatory situated between Svalbard and Greenland. There they will investigate how the ecosystems of the Arctic deep sea are reacting to changing environmental conditions as a result of rapid climate change. The month-long expedition, which is scheduled to finish in Tromsø, Norway, at the end of June, will focus on benthic and plankton…
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[Translate to English:] Nordsee-Plankton
23. May 2025
Press release

Marine heatwaves pose problems for coastal plankton

Temperatures around the world continue to rise – and the North Sea is no exception. Yet, in addition to this gradual warming, increasingly frequent and intense heat events also have consequences for marine organisms. Researchers at the Marine Station Helgoland, a research facility of the Alfred Wegener Institute, have quantified the frequency and intensity of these heatwaves along with their repercussions for plankton. They have also conducted an experiment that exposed the North Sea plankton community to different future warmer scenarios, both with and…
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Portrait of Prof. Dr. Antje Boetius.
22. May 2025
Short news

Antje Boetius elected Fellow of the Royal Society

Antje Boetius, former Director of the AWI, has been elected a Fellow of the Royal Society, one of the world's highest scientific honours. This recognition is in acknowledgement of her exceptional contributions to deep-sea and polar research. She is among this year's international selection of over 90 researchers, including experts in fields such as AI, global health and neuroscience. Congratulations!
AI
21. May 2025
Short news

Contribution to a National AI Strategy

The U Bremen Research Alliance, of which the AWI is a member, aims to actively contribute to the further development of the AI ecosystem in Germany. In a joint declaration, the participating institutions reaffirm their intention to play an active role in shaping the national AI strategy. Prompted by the Conference of the Heads of Government of the Federal States' resolution adopted on March 12, 2025, the declaration emphasizes the central importance of AI for Germany's innovation and competitiveness, calling for the expansion of high-performance regional…
MICADAS
19. May 2025
Online news

Rising temperatures lead to unexpectedly rapid carbon release from soils

How sensitively does organic carbon stored in soils react to changes in temperature and humidity? This question is central to a new study by researchers from MARUM – Center for Marine Environmental Sciences at the University of Bremen and from the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research in Bremerhaven that was now published in Nature Communications.
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