The North Pole region is an area with unique ecosystems and valuable natural resources. Today it is experiencing particularly rapid change as a result of global climate change. However, research in the High Arctic is a cost and time intensive effort, because the “data archives” in the Arctic Ocean lie under metres of snow and ice.

To 'Research around the north pole'

The German-Indonesian Tsunami Early Warning System (GITEWS) for the Indian Ocean is technically operational and is now being tested and optimised for everyday operation. “The most important task now is to train the people locally on site, for example, the experts and specialists who will take over the technical operation and maintainance of the instruments,” says Project Leader Dr. Jörn Lauterjung from the Helmholtz Centre Potsdam GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, which coordinates the project.

To 'Training and instruction courses on the Tsunami Early Warning System'

You could translate “Inkaba yeAfrica” as the Navel of Africa. Geoscientists Professor Dr. Maarten de Wit from the University of Cape Town in South Africa and Professor Dr. Brian Horsfield from the Helmholtz Centre Potsdam GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences are coordinating this mammoth international project that combines basic research on the Earth System with applied research of relevance to human habitat and activity in the south of the continent.

To 'The navel of Africa'

Helmholtz scientists and researchers are running a major project called TERENO (TERrestrial ENvironmental Observatories) to study how climate change and land use change affect regional terrestrial systems in Germany. The Helmholtz Association is establishing four observatories in selected landscapes, extending from the Alps and alpine foothills through to the north-eastern German lowlands to spend 15 years observing and recording changes, e.g. in the water and soil quality, precipitation patterns, vegetation and biological diversity.

To 'Germany´s landscapes and climate change'

“Species diversity is just as important as the climate when we think about feeding humanity, but we lack the detailed regional and temporal data on flora and fauna that enable us to make better predictions on how ecosystems will develop,” explains Josef Settele from the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ. The EU project called ALARM has created an initial overview of key habitats in Europe and their specific problems.

To 'Alarm: Climate change ripping holes into the network of life'

Some 80 wind turbines are to be erected in the North Sea to the west of Sylt. A technical challenge, because such an offshore wind farm is not only exposed to waves and weather, but itself also influences the wave patterns. To examine this question, GKSS scientists headed by Dr. Friedwart Ziemer and experts from the Technical University of Saint Petersburg have developed a radar system with which the waves can be measured more precisely.

To 'Insights into research: Earth and Environment'