As the Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, the Alfred Wegener Institute is primarily active in the cold and temperate regions of the world. Working together with numerous national and international partners, we are actively involved in unravelling the complex processes at work in the “Earth System”. Our planet is undergoing fundamental climate change; the polar regions and the oceans, which play central roles in the global climate system, are in flux. How will planet Earth evolve? Do the phenomena we’re observing represent short-term fluctuations or long-term trends? Polar and marine research has always been a fascinating scientific challenge; today it is also research into the future.
Currently the #EUArcticForum takes place on the lands of the Finnish Sámi, in Kittilä, Finland. We are grateful to be here, representing the Arctic PASSION project and the Alfred-Wegener-Institut, Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung, and to meet with the European Arctic research community, EU representatives, Youth and Indigenous Peoples' representatives. Tomorrow we look forward to listen to the Arctic and European youth and the Indigenous Peoples in the Arctic Youth Dialogue and Indigenous Peoples’ Dialogue.
Are you an expert in marine microbial ecology? We are looking for a talented Researcher / Postdoc for "molecular investigations on microbial ecology in deep-sea polymetallic nodule fields" to join our team at the AWI in Bremerhaven.
Your primary focus will be on benthic microbial communities in manganese nodule ecosystems of the CCZ, combining analyses of taxonomic and functional diversity and integrating them with knowledge on environmental characteristics.
🔗 Find out more and apply here:
https://lnkd.in/dQNZen-3#TeamAWI
Foto: Tim Kalvalage
The call for our 2026 postdoc cohort is now open.
Antarctica’s Southern Ocean is a rich, largely ungoverned marine habitat facing growing human activity. It plays a key role in regulating climate but is rapidly changing due to global warming. These changes threaten cold-adapted species and ecosystems.
We invite applications for four positions, covering natural and social science perspectives, that will cohere around the ‘dilemma’ facing the Southern Ocean: how competing interests impact its governance, but also drive the need for greater science to understand its changes:
#1 Geopolitical dilemmas for management: transfer for governance
#2 Sustaining the keystone: Rethinking Antarctic krill fishery management under climate change
#3 Navigating uncertainty: Planning marine protected areas in a changing Southern Ocean
#4 Acoustic possibilities for Southern Ocean management dilemmas
View all positions here: hifmb.de/jobs
Application open until August 24th, 2025.
Happy Mittwinter ❄️🌌🐧
Das 45. Überwinterungsteam der Neumayer-Station III sendet Mittwinter-Grüße aus der Antarktis. Ab jetzt werden die Tage wieder heller, die Temperaturen noch kälter und die Pinguine zahlreicher.
Mittwinter ist eine Zeit, um innezuhalten, die Schönheit der eisigen Landschaft zu bewundern und die unglaubliche Entschlossenheit unseres Überwinterungsteams zu würdigen, die dort leben und arbeiten.
How do you turn complex radar data into accessible knowledge for climate and polar research?
The Radar Data Viewer developed by Dr. Steven Franke, Dr. Veit Helm, and Dr. Daniel Steinhage (Alfred-Wegener-Institut, Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung) provides a powerful answer.
With a strong collaborative approach, seamless integration with the data platform PANGAEA, and a clear focus on usability, the project brings real added value to the research community. It exemplifies what impactful, sustainable data work can look like – and why the team received the Data Champion Award 2025. The award ceremony took place during the evening event of #UBRA Research Data Day on June 11, 2025, at the Bremen Parliament.
The Data Champion Award is an annual prize presented by #DataNord, Data Competence Center for the Bremen Region. It honors outstanding achievements in the field of research data and exceptional commitment to FAIR data practices. The award includes a monetary prize of €1,500, supported by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) and funded by the European Union - NextGenerationEU.
🎥 In this video, the researchers explain the idea behind the Radar Data Viewer, its benefits, and the motivation that drives their work.
Die Senatorin für Umwelt, Klima und Wissenschaft, Data Science Center (DSC) der Universität Bremen, Universität Bremen, Frank Oliver Glöckner, Rolf Drechsler, Tanja Hörner, Lena Steinmann, Dr. Lina Schaare
Forscher:innen des AWI zeigen: Eine bisher kaum erforschte Rückströmung in der Barentssee hat deutliche Auswirkungen auf die winterliche Meereisbildung.
Das arktische Meereis zieht sich seit Jahrzehnten zunehmend auch im Winter zurück. Eine Hauptursache ist das wärmere Atlantikwasser, das durch die Barentssee in den Arktischen Ozean strömt. Ein Teil dieses Wassers rezirkuliert jedoch und kehrt als eigenständige Strömung ins Europäische Nordmeer zurück, ohne direkt mit dem Meereis in Kontakt zu kommen. Welche indirekten Effekte diese Rückströmung auf die winterliche Meereisbildung hat, war bislang unklar. Ein Forschungsteam des AWI hat nun in Modellsimulationen gezeigt, dass die Rückströmung entscheidend beeinflusst, wie viel Meereis sich in der Barentssee im Winter bildet.
Foto: Andreas Rogge
Finn Heukamp, Dr. rer. nat.
Policy Support for Arctic Observing Systems: 10 Key Recommendations
At a recent Arctic PASSION workshop with the Arctic Science Funders Forum, experts including Lisa Grosfeld and Volker Rachold (AWI) addressed challenges and opportunities for building a sustainable pan-Arctic Observing System of Systems. They held a dialogue with Arctic science funders to learn about the funders’ perspective.
The result? Arctic PASSION formulated 10 powerful recommendations for better coordination, inclusion, infrastructure support, and long-term funding, including:
✅ Stronger support for SAON & ArORA
✅ Long-term funding for Indigenous-led sustainable monitoring
✅ Inclusive & community-based research design
✅ Investments in cryosphere science, data systems & machine learning
✅ Commitment to FAIR and CARE data principles
🔗 Explore the full list of recommendations here:
👉 https://lnkd.in/dbAsfSD8#ArcticPASSION#ArcticScience#IndigenousKnowledge#SAON#ArORA#ClimateObserving#ArcticData#FAIRData#CAREPrinciples#FundersForum#H2020#Science4EUAPECS - Association of Polar Early Career ScientistsGerman Arctic Office Lisa Grosfeld
Neue AWI-Studie liefert wichtige Erkenntnisse zur Krillfischerei in der Antarktis 🐋🌊
Antarktischer Krill ist eine Schlüsselart im antarktischen Meeresökosystem: Er ist eine bedeutende Nahrungsquelle für viele Arten, wie Wale, Robben und Pinguine. Die kleinen Krebstiere rücken jedoch immer mehr in den Fokus der Fischerei - mit erhebliche Folgen für das gesamte Ökosystem.
Ein AWI-Forschungsteam konnte nun anhand akustischer Daten, Gebiete und Zeiträume identifizieren, in denen es zu einer erhöhten Überschneidung von Fischerei und Krillräubern kommt. Die Ergebnisse können dazu beitragen, effektive Managementstrategien zu entwickeln, um das Ökosystem in der Antarktis zu schützen.
Fotos: S. Menze
Last week, the UN Ocean Conference in Nice came to an end. Time to look back at our session "No Time to Waste: Tackling Submerged Munitions in European Seas" Aboard the research vessel Meteor.
The thematic station “What are the environmental risks of munitions in the sea?” was jointly represented by AWI, GEOMAR Helmholtz-Zentrum für Ozeanforschung Kiel, and the Institute of Oceanology Polish Academy of Sciences.
We informed visitors about the already measurable biological effects of legacy munitions on marine organisms. Special emphasis was placed on the fact that this is a global issue, affecting nearly all marine environments worldwide. Studies conducted in European seas show, a significantly increased occurrence of severe liver diseases in fish, as well as the presence of explosive residues in fish fillets.
Photos: Sarah Uphoff, Romina Schuster
