Limiting global warming - increasing importance of non-fossil greenhouse gases
Aside from carbon dioxide (CO2), other greenhouse gases such as methane (CH4) or nitrous oxide (N2O) contribute to global warming. In the past, this additional warming effect was partially compensated...
View ArticleMobilizing the ocean for climate protection
In 2015, the international community agreed in Paris to limit global warming to two degrees or less. In 2018, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) published a special report which shows...
View ArticleNew opportunities for ocean and climate modelling
In their model simulations, climate researchers always have to make compromises. Even with the largest computers available worldwide, they can only reproduce the real world to a limited extent....
View ArticleClimate predictions several years into the future?
Our planet’s climate system is complex. Different components, like atmosphere, ocean, sea and land ice influence each other and cause natural climate variations on a range of timescales from months to...
View ArticleVariability in the Arctic Carbon Cycle
The polar regions are particularly affected by climate change. However, extreme climatic conditions pose a challenge in understanding the rapidly changing environment as many areas are only safely...
View ArticleImproved models show stronger climate change signal in the tropical Atlantic
A long-standing problem in global climate models (coupled ocean-atmosphere-sea ice models) is the too warm sea surface temperatures in the eastern tropical Atlantic, which also influences the nature of...
View ArticleArctic sea ice: A look back into the future
The changes caused by global warming are particularly obvious in the Arctic. The area covered by sea ice in summer has strongly decreased in the last decades. In mid-September 2020 it reached the...
View ArticleIncreasing usage of nitrogen fertilizer poses an increasing climate threat
Not only has the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere increased significantly since the beginning of industrialization. The concentrations of other greenhouse gases such as nitrous oxide have...
View ArticleThe uncertain future of the oceans
The ocean plays a key role in the current climate change, as it absorbs a considerable part of the atmospheric carbon dioxide emitted by mankind. On the one hand, this slows down the heating of the...
View ArticleOzone and the Jetstream: A complex relationship
Although the stratosphere is located at an altitude of ten to 50 kilometers, it does directly or indirectly influence life on the Earth's surface. Extreme events in the stratosphere can, for example,...
View ArticleA stable ocean circulation in a changing North Atlantic Ocean
The Gulf Stream is often described as the long-distance heating system of Europe, since it transports thermal energy across the Atlantic Ocean to the British Isles and the Norwegian Sea. Strictly...
View ArticlePast river activity in northern Africa reveals multiple Sahara greenings
29 January 2021/Potsdam, Kiel. Large parts of today's Sahara Desert were green thousands of years ago. Prehistoric engravings of giraffes and crocodiles testify to this, as does a stone-age cave...
View ArticleNew factor in the carbon cycle of the Southern Ocean identified
The term plankton describes usually very small organisms that drift with the currents in the seas and oceans. Despite their small size, they play an important role for our planet due to their immense...
View ArticleSediments are Nutrient Mediators in Arctic Fjords
Algae and other photosynthesising organisms in the ocean may often be tiny, but they play a major role in the Earth's climate system. They use large amounts of carbon and produce around half of the...
View ArticleThe gate between the deep ocean and the atmosphere is becoming more impermeable
The earth is warming. The warming of the atmosphere would be even more pronounced if the ocean did not function as a gigantic climate buffer. The oceans have absorbed more than 90 percent of the...
View ArticleNew Laser Measurement System at the Ocean Science Centre Mindelo
The Ocean Science Centre Mindelo (OSCM) located on the Cabo Verdean Island São Vicente is an ideal base for both ocean and atmosphere research in the tropics, jointly operated by the Cabo Verdean...
View ArticleCoastal Ecosystems Worldwide: Billion-dollar Carbon Reservoirs
Besides Australia, Indonesia and the USA provide the largest carbon storage potential with their coastal ecosystems, according to calculations by Christine Bertram (Kiel Institute, until February...
View ArticleMaking the ocean an ally in climate protection
The human-induced increase in carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration in the atmosphere continues. With well-known consequences: The climate is changing, extreme weather events are increasing in many...
View ArticleWeaker ocean circulation led to more carbon storage in the deep sea
As a natural sink for carbon, the ocean is a central element of the Earth’s climate system. The amount of carbon removed from the system in the long run depends on how much particles...
View ArticleFor responsible research on marine carbon dioxide removal
Reducing greenhouse gas emissions and limiting global warming are the top priorities of international climate policy. However, as emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) are continuing to rise, it is now...
View ArticleA grand measuring journey across the Atlantic
Although the Atlantic is several thousand kilometres wide, the water masses in the west and east of this large ocean are closely connected. Off West Africa, nutrient-rich water rises from the depths...
View ArticleLooking back from the future: How does Germany become carbon neutral?
Germany in the year 2050. The goal of a carbon dioxide-neutral life and economy has been achieved: Greenhouse gas emissions have fallen drastically, and unavoidable emissions are counterbalanced....
View ArticleLearning and researching on the high seas
After two years of pandemic, it's finally time to cast off: Several months of preparation and planning lie behind the participants of expedition MSM106 with the German research vessel MARIA S. MERIAN....
View ArticleActing now – to protect the ocean, biodiversity and our climate
270 authors from 67 countries have analysed thousands of scientific publications over more than three years to show how far climate change has already progressed, what effects it has across all regions...
View ArticleReducing emissions and advancing research for net-zero
Our own lifestyles, unsustainable energy and land use, patterns of consumption and production have made it difficult for us to limit global warming as enshrined in the Paris Agreement and to reach...
View ArticleOut of the Air
Press release of the Helmholtz Climate Initiative Based on current studies and interviews with experts, researchers from the Helmholtz Climate Initiative have developed a new framework for evaluating...
View ArticleUsing alkaline rock minerals to combat climate change
The target is clear: In the Paris Agreement, the global community agreed to limit global warming to well below 2° Celsius and to make efforts to keep it below 1.5° Celsius. This can only be achieved if...
View ArticleDecline of diatoms due to ocean acidification
While calcifying organisms like oysters and corals have difficulty forming their shells and skeletons in more acidic seawater, diatoms have been considered less susceptible to the effects of ocean...
View ArticleGetting a better understanding of the influence of eddies in the ocean
Upwelling areas are among the most productive marine areas in the world. They are not only significant for biodiversity, but also play a major role in the global food supply and economy as high-yield...
View ArticleGEOMAR calls for consistent action for marine protection
The ocean is also known as the planet's blue lungs. It produces much of the oxygen we breathe. At the same time, it absorbs and stores carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere, helping us mitigate...
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