Current issues

For years, methane emissions from the seabed have been observed in the Arctic Ocean off Spitsbergen. The assumption that the warming of seawater by climate change is responsible for the release of methane, has not been confirmed. Research from an ...

Two research projects, which join several German and Chinese partner institutions, were launched into action with a kick-off meeting in Guangzhou, China, from December 4 to 8, 2017. They are supported by Germany's Federal Ministry of Education and ...

Until now, acreage was designated for either photovoltaics or photosynthesis, that is, to generate electricity or grow crops. An agrophotovoltaics (APV) pilot project near Lake Constance, however, has now demonstrated that both uses are compatible. Dual ...

Wie Forschende heute Rohstoffe gewinnen, ist in einer Sonderausstellung am historischen Ort zu erleben. Recycling, Landfill Mining und Urban Mining gibt es interaktiv im Weltkulturerbe Bergwerk Rammelsberg im Harz.

From November 6 to 17, the UN Climate Change Conference 2017 (COP23) under Presidency of the Government of Fiji will take place in Bonn. Up to 25,000 participants from science, diplomacy, politics and civil society are expected at the conference. ...

25 leading young scientists from all over the world met Germany´s sustainability researchers from 16 to 27 October 2017. The focus of the two-week science tour was on sustainable production and consumption. Prof. Dr. Eckhard Weidner, director of ...

In November 2017, the German research network on ocean acidification BIOACID (Biological Impacts of Ocean Acidification) reaches its conclusion after eight years of extensive interdisciplinary scientific activity. Experiments and analyses carried out by ...

What would be the consequences for abyssal ecosystems if mining of marine ore deposits was to start? Can such exploitation be conducted in an environmentally acceptable fashion? And how can mining regulations be enforced? For three years researchers from ...

Destabilizing the climate can also destabilize societies. Global warming impacts cause substantial economic damages, hurts human health in many ways, influences the drivers of human migration, and it can jeopardize development for many of the world's ...

At the invitation of the Federal Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF), fourteen leading marine scientists recently came together for the kick-off meeting of the advisory committee for MARE:N agenda process ‘Blue Ocean’ in Hamburg. By ...

This September, the extent of Arctic sea ice shrank to roughly 4.7 million square kilometres, as was determined by researchers at the Alfred Wegener Institute, the University of Bremen and Universität Hamburg. Though slightly larger than last year, the ...

Over the next five years, nine research centres of the Helmholtz Association will collaborate to create a flexible, mobile measuring system for Earth observation: MOSES – Modular Observation Solutions for Earth Systems. Researchers will use this system ...

Stormy, rough and very cold: These characteristics of the Labrador Sea may initially seem rather uncomfortable, but they are of particular importance for the oxygen distribution in the ocean. An international research team, with the participation of the ...

In Germany, 3 million tons of packaging waste is produced annually. How can high value secondary raw materials be recovered from this waste? Is it possible to produce new packaging materials from used packaging? These questions are addressed in a new ...