The ocean covers more than 70 percent of the surface of our planet, and many questions concerning marine ecosystems and phenomena still have to be investigated. In Germany, there are various institutes that are dedicated to marine and polar research. The Alfred Wegener Institute based in Bremerhaven is one of them.

TEXT: NADINE CARSTENS

Climate change is one of the world’s biggest challenges – most scientists agree on that, even if some politicians deny that this crisis is caused by humans. Rising sea levels, dying coral reefs and changing ecosystems are among the fatal consequences of global warming, pollution and overfishing that polar and marine scientists investigate. In Germany, there are a range of universities and research institutes in Bremen, Hamburg, Rostock, Kiel and Oldenburg dedicated to deciphering the global climate system. Another notable facility for polar and marine research is the Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI), named after the German polar explorer who discovered the continental drift. Its scientists primarily work in the cold and temperate regions of the world, starting their expeditions and working on their samples and data at the institute’s sites in Bremerhaven, Potsdam, Sylt and Helgoland, Germany’s only deep-sea island, 70 kilometres away from the mainland. Since 1892 scientists have been fascinated by the island’s rich flora and fauna: Being unique to Germany, the rocky mudflat, located around Helgoland, is habitat for algae, fish and invertebrates.
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Source: Discover Germany, Switzerland & Austria
https://issuu.com/scanmagazine/docs/discovergermany_45_december2016/62