Antarctic Circumpolar Current Flows More Rapidly in Warm Phases
Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI)
Published: 24 June 2021
Researchers found that during the last interglacial period, the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) flowed faster than today. A future acceleration due to warming could reduce oceanic CO₂ absorption, intensifying climate change.
Keywords: absorption, global warming, ocean currents, Nature Communications, marine sediment analysis, paleo-data, West Wind Drift
Start of the Citizen Science Project ‘UndercoverEisAgenten’
Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI)
Published: 1 July 2021
The UndercoverEisAgenten project enlists citizens to help track Arctic permafrost thaw via drone and satellite images. Coordinated by AWI, it improves data collection, public engagement, and forecasts of climate-driven permafrost degradation.
Keywords: UndercoverEisAgenten, Canada, Germany, education, methane release, carbon emissions, remote sensing, BMBF
Focus on global plastic pollutionFocus on global plastic pollution
Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI)
Published: 1 July 2021
Plastic pollution is a growing, poorly reversible global threat. A Science study warns that rising plastic emissions risk triggering irreversible environmental damage, urging immediate action to cap production and drastically cut waste.
Keywords: carbon pump, biodiversity loss, plastic waste export, policy response, recycling limits, Science journal
