The global “plastic flood” reaches the Arctic
Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI)
Published: 5 April 2022
Plastic pollution has reached all areas of the Arctic, threatening ecosystems and worsening climate change. An AWI-led study urges global action, highlighting the need for legally binding measures and improved waste management to protect the High North.
Keywords: environmental policy, Transpolar Drift, marine ecosystems, greenhouse gas emissions.
Protecting species for the good of global climate
Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI)
Published: 26 April 2022
A study shows 2/3 of proposed post-2020 global biodiversity targets also aid climate protection. Experts call for integrated action to preserve nature and limit warming, stressing that climate solutions must not harm biodiversity.
Keywords: carbon storage, nature-based solutions, IPBES, IPCC, conservation, sustainability, methane, land use, Kunming.
No glacial fertilization effect in the Antarctic Ocean
Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI)
Published: 19 April 2022
Iron-rich dust did not boost algae growth or CO₂ capture in the Antarctic Ocean during ice ages, a 1.5-million-year sediment study shows. Algae thrived in warm periods instead, highlighting complex climate-ocean interactions beyond just iron fertilization.
Keywords: Alfred Wegener Institute, climate change, JOIDES Resolution, sea ice, ocean stratification, paleoceanography.
