• Investigation of interactions within the polar ecosystems and the continental shelf and coastal regions of the North Sea
• Effects of CO₂, ph-value, temperature and UV radiation on marine organisms
• Climate-induced changes in the diversity of species
• Contribution of organisms to climate-relevant processes
• Organisms as indicators for climate changes

Examples of the climate research competences include:

Ocean Acidification (OA)

In response to the growing concern of the impact of climate change on marine ecosystems, the BMBF (Federal Ministry of Education and Research) launched a cooperative project on the topic of ‘Ocean Acidification’. The increase of the atmospheric concentration of CO₂ and its interactions with the carbonate system of the ocean leads to an increase of the CO₂ in sea water and thus acidifies the oceans. Measurements have confirmed that lime-bearing acid-sensitive organisms, such as corals, mussels and snails, are no longer able to fully develop their supporting skeletons or protective shells. Crustaceans and fish suffer from metabolic impairments due to the ocean acidification.

Changing Polar Ecosystems (Deep Sea)

In one of its recent assessments, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) demonstrated the possible influence of climate change in the polar regions. With its long-standing experience of over 30 years in polar and marine research, the Alfred Wegener Institute will present the potential consequences of climate change for organisms and ecosystems in the next IPCC report. The institute’s core competence in polar research is not only internationally requested, but also highly manifested in international cooperation’s. Among others, the Alfred Wegener Institute runs the only long-term Arctic deep sea observatory where the rapid changes in the most significant access area of the Arctic are monitored.

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Environmental Changes in the Polar Regions

Owing to the intensive anthropogenic use of fossil fuels, emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are increasing, advancing environmental changes, which is already leaving significant implications on the Polar regions nowadays.

Loss of sea ice habitats:

For over 50 years, the Arctic has been warming up considerably, leading to a  increased sea ice loss and its inherent habitat, which countless organisms depend upon.

Consequences of disintegrating ice shelves

Due to the warming climate, substantial Antarctic ice shelves are disintegrating, leaving large icebergs splitting into hundreds of smaller table chunks. Those areas that were once located underneath the ice shelves, are now exposed; marine habitats are disrupted and repopulated.

Changes in the food web
There is a particularly noticeable decline in the krill population and an increasingly  dominating salp population (salps are tunicates, which swim freely in sea water and feed on plankton), both of which form the basis of the balanced food web, but are now subject to tremendous change.