Frozen at the North Pole: An Expedition Into the Epicenter of Global Warming
LECTURE (ID: 1)
Ort: Haus A45, Hörsaal
It's thawing! Arctic Permafrost and Climate Change
VORTRAG (ID: 2)
Was passiert, wenn der dauerhaft gefrorene Boden der Arktis auftaut? Permafrost speichert seit Jahrtausenden große Mengen an Kohlenstoff, aber auch Nähr- und Schadstoffe sowie Mikroorganismen. Durch die globale Erwärmung taut er zunehmend auf und verändert Landschaften und Ökosysteme. Gleichzeitig können zusätzliche Treibhausgase wie Kohlendioxid und Methan freigesetzt werden und den Klimawandel weiter verstärken. Der Vortrag gibt Einblicke in die aktuelle Permafrostforschung und zeigt, warum Veränderungen in der Arktis Auswirkungen auf das globale Klimasystem haben.
Vortragende: Dr. Jens Strauss
Ort: Haus A45, Hörsaal
Zeitraum: 13:00-13:30 Uhr
Who owns the Arctic?
LECTURE (ID: 72)
Was passiert, wenn der dauerhaft gefrorene Boden der Arktis auftaut? Permafrost speichert seit Jahrtausenden große Mengen an Kohlenstoff, aber auch Nähr- und Schadstoffe sowie Mikroorganismen. Durch die globale Erwärmung taut er zunehmend auf und verändert Landschaften und Ökosysteme. Gleichzeitig können zusätzliche Treibhausgase wie Kohlendioxid und Methan freigesetzt werden und den Klimawandel weiter verstärken. Der Vortrag gibt Einblicke in die aktuelle Permafrostforschung und zeigt, warum Veränderungen in der Arktis Auswirkungen auf das globale Klimasystem haben.
Lecturer: Volker Rachold
Location: Haus A45, Hörsaal
Time: 16:00-16:30
Live link to the Arctic – the latest news from the mainland and the icebreaker POLARSTERN
LECTURE (ID: 5)
Location: House A45, Lecture Hall
Time: xx pm
Vortices you can Touch
EXPERIMENT (ID: 6)
Turbulent vortices are invisible and drive all kinds of transport in the air. They range in size from a few millimeters to kilometers and determine the turbulent exchange of energy, momentum, and constituents in both time and space. The energetically significant fluxes are sensible and latent heat fluxes, which are part of the Earth’s surface energy balance. As such, they have a direct influence on the structure of the atmosphere near the ground. In this experiment, we use fog and lasers to make small, real vortices visible to everyone.
Location: House A45
Time: hourly, 12 pm - 4 pm
Come with us to Spitzbergen! This is how we do research at the AWIPEV Research Station
HANDS-ON ACTIVITY (ID: 7)
Where is our research station in the Arctic located? What kind of research is conducted there—and why are the findings important for us here in Germany as well? Get to know the AWIPEV research station on Spitsbergen and learn what everyday research and life are like under Arctic conditions. A special highlight: Try on real polar gear and step into the shoes of a polar researcher for a moment.
Location: in front of House A45
Polar Reasarch in the Tropics? 10 years Palau Observatory
INFO STAND (ID: 75)
Why does the Alfred Wegener Institute operate an atmospheric observatory on a small island in the tropical western Pacific? Because what rises high into the atmosphere above Palau can influence climate processes around the world, including in the Arctic and Antarctic. For ten years, researchers at the Palau Atmospheric Observatory have measured ozone, water vapour, clouds, aerosols and other trace gases. Using balloons, lidar and spectrometers, they investigate how air from the tropics enters the stratosphere - the atmospheric layer that also contains the ozone layer. These data help us better understand changes in climate, weather and the atmosphere. Visit us to discover why this tropical island nation is so important for polar research, which instruments are used at the observatory, and how research in Palau connects to climate processes in Europe and the polar regions.
Location: House A45
Where the Atmospere Touches the Ice: A year-long expedition in the Antarctic
INFO STAND, HANDS-ON ACTIVITY (ID: 9)
The polar regions are hot spots of climate change with rapidly declining sea ice cover. But what is causing the ice to melt? What roles do solar and terrestrial radiation, the turbulent exchange processes above the sea ice, and the ocean beneath it play? And what role does the sea ice itself play in this process? These questions are difficult to answer—in part because there is virtually no scientific data from the affected regions. A large-scale expedition to Antarctica in 2027/28/29 aims to answer these questions. Here, we provide an up-close look at the expedition and the measurements planned there.
Location: in front of House A45
Can Water Be Stacked?
HANDS-ON ACTIVITY (ID: 10)
You might think: That can’t possibly work… liquid water can’t be stacked. But in science, we are constantly surprised by unexpected discoveries. This experiment helps us find an answer to this and other questions. The youngest participants can also get creative and express themselves artistically.
Location: in front of House A45
Watch what happens when permafrost thaws!
INFO STAND; HANDS-ON ACTIVITY (ID: 11)
Permafrost - ground that has remained frozen for more than two years - can contain large amounts of ice. This ice is important, among other things, for the stability of the ground. Long-term permafrost thaw therefore causes the ground to subside and can have serious consequences for infrastructure built on it, such as houses or pipelines. At our long-term monitoring station in Svalbard, we study the effects of permafrost thaw. We show how we measure these changes in the field and, through an experiment, what these changes actually look like. You can watch the ground thaw, observe changes in temperature, and follow real-time measurements from Svalbard. And, of course, there is a real piece of permafrost to touch, smell, and feel …
Location: in front of House A45
Children's Book Reading „Gutenachtgeschichte für Mutige“
READING (ID: 12)
The sky was blue. Birds sang in enormous trees. Flowers shone in every colour. As Alice listens to her mother’s story, she imagines a world full of life and wonder. The project is based on a short film developed by the REKLIM research network at AWI together with emerging filmmaker Ipekt Sertöz. And because the film needed a book, graphic artist Aycan Başar created its illustrations. At first, it was nothing more than a prop. Then something wonderful happened: people had the idea of making it real. The book and film will be presented, the author will be there in person, and visitors will have the opportunity to get creative themselves.
Location: House A45
Changing Treelines: What can we learn from high-latitude forests?
INFO STAND, HANDS-ON ACTIVITY (ID: 13)
Where does the forest end and the tundra begin? At the treeline, vegetation and its diversity are especially sensitive to environmental change. Discover how researchers study northern forests and the Arctic using drones and backpack LiDAR. Explore expedition photos, drone footage and 3-D visualisations created from drone data. Put on 3-D glasses and explore a vegetation plot yourself.
Location: House A45
Trees in 3-D: Build Your Own Point Clouds
HANDS-ON ACTIVITY (ID: 14)
How do researchers turn trees into three-dimensional data? At our children’s station, you can try it yourself: Use PlayMais® to create colourful point clouds of trees. Discover how drones and LiDAR instruments record the height, shape and structure of forests. Your own 3-D trees show how these data help researchers study changes at the treeline and in forests at high latitudes.
Location: House A45
DNA from fruit: Unlocking past ecosystems
HANDS-ON ACTIVITY (ID: 15)
How can you make DNA from fruit visible using simple everyday items? At our interactive booth, scientists will show you how DNA extraction works and why this method is so important for studying ancient ecosystems. Tiny traces of DNA from plants, animals, and other organisms can survive for a very long time in mud from lakes, oceans, and permafrost. By looking at these traces, researchers can understand how ecosystems reacted to environmental changes in the past and what this means for our future. Try out the DNA extraction yourself and discover how scientists unlock past ecosystems using ancient DNA.
Location: House A45