The Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research
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The Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research in the Helmholtz Associationdoes research in the Arctic and Antarctic regions, as well as on coasts and in high and mid-latitude oceans. It coordinates polar research in Germany, analyses global environmental changes, and contributes to deciphering the complex natural connections in the Earth System. More and more the focus of the research has moved towards the goal of understanding the forces affecting the climate and fluctuations in it.
Earth’s climate has always undergone changes. Which natural factors caused and influenced these changes in the past? How will the Earth System react to man-made climate change in this situation? And what will the climate regime of the future look like? Results from the scientific research of the Alfred Wegener Institute provide central pieces of the puzzle needed to understand the complex, global overall picture. An overall picture is sorely needed to answer central questions about humanity’s future and to provide a basis for appropriate political decisions.
Tight integration in international networks and a broad scientific basis characterize the Institute’s research work. Biologists, geologists and climate scientists all work together closely at the Alfred Wegener Institute. Field research under extreme conditions is just as much a part of the daily routine here as working with the most up-to-date laboratory equipment and powerful supercomputers. Because polar and marine research is always also a logistical challenge, the Institute has an excellent infrastructure. It makes this infrastructure available for national and international research. This includes the research ships such as the Polarstern or the Heincke, year-round and seasonal manned research stations in both polar regions, airplanes, scientific observatories and measurement systems.
© Alfred-Wegener-Institut
