Researchers from the Helmholtz research field “Earth and Environment” visit GEOMAR

Within the framework of the joint programme “Changing Earth – Sustaining our Future” of the programme-oriented Funding of the Helmholtz Association (PoF IV), the seven centres of the Helmholtz research field “Earth and Environment” are investigating the natural environment – from the land surface to the oceans to the most remote polar regions. Topic 2 “Ocean and Cryosphere in Climate Change” is coordinated by the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel and the Helmholtz Centre Potsdam German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) as well as the Research Institute for Sustainability, Helmholtz Centre Potsdam (RIFS) are also involved.

At their second annual meeting, this time held at GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, the more than 70 participating researchers addressed the four subtopics of the topic area: warming climates, variability and extremes, sea-level change, and advanced research methodologies for the future.

Professor Dr Gerrit Lohmann, speaker for the topic and head of the Dynamics of Paleoclimate working group at AWI explained, “The aim is to close knowledge gaps and to understand the changes in the climate system in the past, present and future. To this end, researchers from different physical disciplines of Earth system science are working together.”

“With the annual meetings, we promote scientific exchange between the three participating Helmholtz centres. After the kick-off meeting at AWI last year, the focus of the second annual meeting is on promoting young scientists,” emphasized Professor Dr Arne Biastoch, oceanographer at GEMOAR, local host and deputy speaker of this thematic area. “Especially PhD students and postdocs were offered the opportunity to present their research results in short talks and poster presentations. There were exciting discussion sessions involving all scientific career stages.”

The meetings are scheduled to rotate annually among the participating centres. Next year, the GFZ will be the host.

Background: Research programme “Changing Earth – Sustaining our Future”

As part of the Helmholtz Association’s programme-oriented research funding, all seven centres of the Helmholtz Research Field “Earth and Environment” are jointly investigating the Earth system and the complex interrelationships of processes on Earth in the programme “Changing Earth – Sustaining our Future”. Through the programme, the participating centres receive their basic funding from the federal and state governments. GEOMAR is involved in four of nine different topics. The goal is to link the emerging knowledge of the centres and to advance the cooperation between the centres and with national and international partners.

Background: Topic area “Ocean and Cryosphere in Climate Change”

The topic area “Ocean and Cryosphere in Climate Change” is part of the programme “Changing Earth – Sustaining our Future”. The Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) coordinates this topic. Partners are the Helmholtz Centre Potsdam German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) and the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel. The goal of the Helmholtz researchers involved is to study deeper ocean layers and polar regions in particular in order to explain how the oceans and cryosphere react to global warming and how they influence the climate. The topic area is divided into four subtopics: Warming climates, variability and extremes, sea-level change and, as an overarching theme, and advanced research methodologies for tomorrow.