Arctic sea ice at its second-lowest ever this September
by Mares - 16th September 2016
In September 2016, the surface of the Arctic sea ice shrank to nearly 4.1 million square kilometres – the second…
This year’s decline of Arctic sea ice may be as bad as the record low of 2012
by Mares - 19th May 2016
At the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI), sea ice physicists have predicted that the…
Researchers measure platelet ice beneath Antarctic sea ice
by Mares - 8th February 2016
For the first time, sea ice physicists at the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) have developed a new method of efficiently…
Arctic sea ice plays essential role in methane cycle
by Mares - 8th December 2015
Study uncovers link between seasonal melting of sea ice and release of methane gas The ice-covered Arctic Ocean plays a…
Billions of juvenile polar cod under Arctic sea ice
by Mares - 14th October 2015
With a newly developed netting gear, marine scientists at the Alfred Wegener Institute managed to catch a large number of…
Increase in melting sea ice may lead to higher food supply in Arctic
by Herbert - 26th September 2017
In the Arctic, melt ponds are formed every year when snow and sea ice melt at the end of winter.…
Underwater robot “TRAMPER” to surface after a year in the Arctic deep sea
by Herbert - 22nd August 2017
Helmholtz Alliance ROBEX tested innovative technologies on expedition On Tuesday, August 22nd, the research vessel Polarstern will set off on…
Defining research priorities for the Arctic
by Mares - 29th February 2016
The major international Arctic research organisations, with the involvement of the indigenous peoples of the Arctic, have come up with…
Leatherback sea turtles
by Franco and Sabrina - 18th January 2024
A leatherback turtle swimming gracefully through the open ocean is arguably one of the most majestic sights in the natural…
Arctic Aur-Orca
by Alex - 26th December 2022
It is definitely the best snorkelling experience in Europe, and it is probably the best underwater experience too. Each winter,…
Nestled in the seventh continent – Iceberg diving in the Antarctic
by Gerald - 17th December 2019
Being in the Antarctic has always been my dream. In an unforeseen way, it has now come true. As a…
Love to swim with orcas? 12 reasons to go Arctic liveaboard diving now!
by LiveAboard - 5th November 2019
The Arctic has long been known for its outstanding wildlife watching and dramatic landscapes. It offers numerous diving opportunities, but…
Increasing nutrient input has implications for food webs in the Arctic Ocean
by Herbert - 13th February 2018
Scientists find surprising evidence of rapid changes in the Arctic Scientists have found surprising evidence of rapid Arctic climate change:…
Greenpeace travels to unexplored parts of the Antarctic
by Herbert - 19th January 2018
Expedition to provide further arguments for the world's largest marine protected area Greenpeace will explore previously barely known regions in…
Seawater cools upper layers of earth’s crust
by Herbert - 29th November 2017
Seawater penetrates much deeper than expected How deep can seawater penetrate through cracks and fissures into the seafloor? Using a…
Arctic: AWI underwater robot Tramper successfully recovered
by Herbert - 31st August 2017
Almost 60 weeks of measurements of oxygen content at the bottom of the deep sea obtained On 27 August 2017,…
Temperatures in Arctic archipelago may soon rise beyond freezing point
by Mares - 10th July 2017
Scientist predict that the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard may experience above-freezing temperatures for the first time on record, as a…
Glacial retreat accelerated by meltwater lakes under Antarctic Ice Sheet
by Herbert - 4th July 2017
During the last glacial period, the ice in the Antarctic was thicker and extended farther offshore than it does today.…
Why do krill stocks in Antarctica fluctuate?
by Herbert - 9th June 2017
Climatic influences not as important as previously thought Although just six centimeters long, the Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) plays an…
Marvels of the Arctic
by Herbert - 9th May 2017
Undertaking a cool journey of discovery Water temperatures of minus 3°C. It is so cold here that using salt to…
Litter in the sea: New portal offers comprehensive coverage
by Herbert - 29th March 2017
New online portal LITTERBASE compiles all data in one location Where is litter at sea and which species and habitats…
Growing problem of litter in the Arctic depths
by Herbert - 16th February 2017
Sea ice may be responsible for transporting plastic wasteThe Arctic has a garbage problem. In just a decade, the amount…
Studying the effects of coastal erosion in the Arctic
by Mares - 18th January 2017
The thawing and erosion of the arctic permafrost coasts has increased so drastically in the past that more than 20…
West Antarctica experiences accelerated glacier melting
by Mares - 13th December 2016
Research will lead to better predictions about rising sea levelsThe fastest ongoing rates of glacier retreat ever recorded have been…
New insights into the changes of the Nordic Seas during interglacials
by Mares - 5th December 2016
The characteristics of the water masses in the Nordic Seas are expected to change due to the Earth's higher temperatures…
Researchers search for Earth’s oldest ice
by Mares - 21st November 2016
Ice cores show glimpse of composition of atmosphere in the pastIn Antarctic, ice and climate scientists from 14 institutions in…
World’s largest marine protected area established in Antarctica
by Herbert - 28th October 2016
Just off the southern coast of Antarctica is the Ross Sea, where the largest marine protected area (MPA) will be…
Germany proposes protection for Weddell Sea
by Mares - 20th October 2016
The European Union has submitted a request for a marine protected area (MPA) to be established in the Weddell Sea.…
Greenpeace reports on research on microplastics in seafood
by Mares - 6th October 2016
Microplastics can accumulate in the food chain “In the environment, microplastics act like a foreign body with toxins. It contains…
Seafloor of Red Sea formed at least 12 million years ago
by Herbert - 20th September 2016
Discovery overturns present understanding of region’s geological development Geoscientists find the Red Sea fascinating as it represents an ocean in…
Enhancing the analysis of climatic changes in the Arctic
by Mares - 16th June 2016
Scientists head northwards with new autonomous instruments On 13 June 2016, a team of scientists set off to Spitsbergen on…
Book launch at Maritime Museum shines light on first German deep-sea expedition
by Mares - 7th March 2016
Zoologist Carl Chun from Leipzig was fascinated by the possibilities within the deep sea. In a speech to the German…
Researchers measure decomposition in polyethylene and biodegradable bags
by Mares - 15th February 2016
Plastic waste is now found in practically every part of the world, from the Antarctic coasts to the ocean depths.…
How stable is the West Antarctic Ice Sheet?
by Mares - 12th February 2016
Exceeding critical temperature values can lead to collapse of the ice sheet and strong rise in sea level A future…
Melosira Arctica named algae species of 2016
by Mares - 19th January 2016
Researchers have named the Melosira arctica, one of the major algae species in the Arctic Ocean, as Algae of the…
Melting coastal glaciers cause loss in biodiversity – Seabed ecosystem affected by sedimentation
by Mares - 20th November 2015
Melting glaciers will lead to a reduction of species biodiversity among the benthos (bottom-dwelling organisms) community in the coastal waters…
Arctic Day of Action: An Exhibition By Greenpeace
by Mares - 6th August 2015
Beluga II in Stralsund A small exhibition about the Arctic will be held from 10th to 14th August 2015 on…
Arctic Ocean: Reduced Amount Of Ice
by Mares - 17th July 2015
Commercial Fishing Ban Implemented In The Arctic Over the years, climate change has reduced the amount of ice in the…
Narwhals show alarming reactions to stress
by Herbert - 21st December 2017
Human disturbances cause narwhals to freeze and escape simultaneously New insights into the effects of ocean noise and increased human…
New ocean measuring station at Boknis Eck
by Mares - 1st February 2017
GEOMAR and Helmholtz Center Geesthacht install new sensor node in Baltic Sea Boknis Eck (Boknis Corner) – a name familiar…
New underwater observatory to monitor zooplankton
by Herbert - 10th December 2016
Scientists from the Thünen Institute of Sea Fisheries, Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) and Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht (HZG) have placed an optical-acoustic…
Life beneath the ice
by Mares - 17th October 2016
Welcome to the world beneath the ice. We're all familiar with the animals that live above the ice at the…
Underwater robot begins one-year mission
by Mares - 28th July 2016
Autonomous deep-sea robot at work Deep on the Arctic seabed, an autonomous deep-sea robot has been hard at work, having…
Pinnipeds – Marine Acrobats
by Ivana and Janez - 13th July 2022
Pinnipeds, commonly known as seals, are a group of semi-aquatic carnivorous mammals of 34 species living across the world’s oceans.…
Whale Memories
by Dan - 19th August 2021
About this time every year, humpback whales travel from Antarctica to the warm waters of the Pacific to calve. Sadly,…
Hello! Meet Mares Ambassador Alex Mustard
by Alex - 20th July 2021
Hi! I’m Alex and I’m new to the Mares team. Of course, I’m not new to diving, or to Mares…
The largest animals ever to have lived on Earth!
by Franco and Sabrina - 17th December 2020
The southern coast of Sri Lanka may turn out to be one of the best international hotspots for seeing blue…
Greenland on the Rocks
by Franco and Sabrina - 6th June 2019
I had dived under ice platforms in the chilly, cold waters of the Arctic and Antarctic several times before diving…