Further press releases from Helmholtz
29.06.2022
Thawing Permafrost is Shaping the Global Climate
How is climate change affecting the permanently frozen soils of the Arctic? What will the consequences be for the global climate, human beings, and ecosystems? And what can be done to stop it? In the…
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28.06.2022
Polarstern Expedition to the Arctic Ice
Today, the research vessel Polarstern will depart on a seven-week-long voyage to the Arctic, where the onset of summer also marks the beginning of the annual sea-ice melting. Over the past 40 years,…
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27.06.2022
Synergies between biodiversity and climate policy
A GIZ consortium with UFZ participation has published a six-part series of articles on the implementation of political measures against species loss and climate change. It provides examples and case…
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16.06.2022
5th Anniversary of the German Arctic Office
The Arctic as a hotspot of climate change has become a topic of growing geopolitical and commercial interest over the past several years. What happens in the Arctic doesn’t stay in the Arctic – the…
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07.06.2022
The Southern Ocean as never seen before
The features of the ocean floor help determine how water masses and ocean currents move and how they affect our climate. Biodiversity is also influenced by seafloor landforms. Accordingly, having as…
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03.06.2022
Polarstern II: German Bundestag greenlights the construction of new icebreaker
The Research Vessel Polarstern has been underway in the Arctic and Antarctic for 40 years now, giving experts from around the globe the opportunity to safely and effectively conduct research in two…
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25.05.2022
Siberian tundra could virtually disappear by mid-millennium
Due to global warming, temperatures in the Arctic are climbing rapidly. As a result, the treeline for Siberian larch forests is steadily advancing to the north, gradually supplanting the broad…
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16.05.2022
New Benchmark in Europe: The drought event from 2018 to 2020
The drought event from 2018 to 2020 was the most intense in over 250 years. UFZ researchers documented this with a large compilation of data they obtained by reconstructing historical droughts back…
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10.05.2022
Micro- and nanoplastic from the atmosphere is polluting the ocean
According to estimates, by 2040 the level of plastic pollution could reach 80 million metric tons per year. Plastic particles have now been detected in virtually all spheres of the environment, e.g…
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26.04.2022
Protecting species for the global climate
An international study in which the UFZ is also involved shows how climate can benefit from the conservation of biodiversity. According to the report, roughly two thirds of the global biodiversity…
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05.04.2022
The global “plastic flood” reaches the Arctic
Even the High North can’t escape the global threat of plastic pollution. An international review study just released by the Alfred Wegener Institute shows, the flood of plastic has reached all…
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21.03.2022
Census for pollinators: EU project SPRING starts
Insects have an important function for ecosystems and the economy. In order to assess their status within the EU, the EU is funding the SPRING monitoring programme. The UFZ in close collaboration…
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18.03.2022
Dramatic warming in the Arctic
In mid-March 2022, there was a massive influx of warm air into the Arctic, with several unusual phenomena such as heavy rain over the sea ice and massive clouds reaching almost as high as in the…
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14.03.2022
Precipitation trends decisive for future compound hot-dry events
Drought and heat waves have negative consequences for humans and the environment. If both extremes occur simultaneously, their impacts are intensified. How often these compound extremes will occur is…
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01.03.2022
“klimafit” – Learning About Climate Change at Our Doorstep
Rising temperatures, extreme weather events like heavy rain and storms – climate change is becoming more and more visible, and Germany is no exception. In this regard, every region faces its own…
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21.02.2022
The formation of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet was very different than previously believed
Roughly 35 million years ago, Earth cooled rapidly. At roughly the same time, the Drake Passage formed between South America and the Antarctic, paving the way for the Antarctic Circumpolar Current…
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18.02.2022
Fish and squid found in the Central Arctic Ocean
Single individuals of Atlantic cod and squid occur much further north than previously expected. Scientists participating in the international MOSAiC expedition with research icebreaker Polarstern…
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18.02.2022
Construction Begins on the BLUEHOUSE HELGOLAND
Construction will soon begin on Helgoland’s next attraction: in spring, work will begin on the BLUEHOUSE HELGOLAND. From 2024, visitors can expect a unique exhibition covering everything from the…
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17.02.2022
Beyond EPICA: First cores lifted from deep Antarctic ice
What was the climate like thousands or even millions of years ago? The deep ice in Antarctica could provide answers: It contains information about temperature development and the composition of the…
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08.02.2022
Giant sponge gardens discovered on seamounts in the Arctic deep sea
Massive sponge gardens thrive on top of seamounts in the Central Arctic Ocean, one of the most oligotrophic seas on Earth. They appear to feed on the remnants of an extinct fauna. Microorganisms…
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08.02.2022
The “Plastification” of the Ocean
A study released by WWF Germany and the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) highlights the serious scale of the global plastic crisis and summarises the current state of knowledge concerning the effects…
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07.02.2022
Deep insights into the Arctic of tomorrow
Hundreds of international researchers are currently analyzing observations from the one-year MOSAiC expedition, during which hundreds of environmental parameters were recorded with unprecedented…
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02.02.2022
Ocean eddies could explain Antarctic sea-ice paradox
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 indicate…
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13.01.2022
World's largest fish breeding area discovered in Antarctica
Near the Filchner Ice Shelf in the south of the Antarctic Weddell Sea, a research team has found the world's largest fish breeding area known to date. A towed camera system photographed and filmed…
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11.01.2022
Arctic coasts in transition
Arctic coasts are characterized by sea ice, permafrost and ground ice. This makes them particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change, which is already accelerating rapid coastal erosion…
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10.01.2022
How unstable is the East Antarctic Ice Sheet?
On the 6th of January, the research vessel Polarstern set off from Cape Town in South Africa for an expedition of around eight weeks to the Antarctic. Extensive preventative measures have allowed the…
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15.12.2021
Meltwater influences ecosystems in the Arctic Ocean
In the summer months, sea ice from the Arctic drifts through Fram Strait into the Atlantic. Thanks to meltwater, a stable layer forms around the drifting ice atop the more salty seawater, producing…
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02.12.2021
Drought risk in the Northern Hemisphere rises with intensified warming
Over the next few decades, anthropogenic climate change and the resultant changes in the global water cycle will produce a significant rise in drought frequency in the Northern Hemisphere. An…
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30.11.2021
Beyond EPICA explores the climate of the past – drilling commences
The climatic and environmental history of our planet is hidden in the ice: it harbours information on the temperature development and atmospheric composition dating back centuries and even millennia…
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09.11.2021
Viscous AND elastic: Glaciers are more “solid” than previously assumed
Melting glaciers are a major contributor to global sea-level rise. In order to project the latter as precisely as possible, all relevant processes at work in the world’s large glaciers must be…
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