ALBERT

Description: The Laptev Sea - chances for new sea routes: There is a growing concern about the rapidity and extent of climate changes in recent decades in the Arctic. The changes already evident in the Arctic, such as the cyclonic shift in the distribution of Atlantic/Pacific water masses, atmospheric pressure and winds, as well as the thinning and retreat of the sea-ice, will be felt first and most dramatically around the circum-Arctic shelves - nearly 50% of the area of the Arctic Ocean. In this context the Laptev Sea and its Siberian hinterland are of particular interest because of their distance both from the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. River discharge into the Laptev Sea constitutes a key source for the Arctic freshwater input generating a shallow brackish layer on top of the halicline. The shallow Laptev Sea Shelf is a major area of sea-ice production, linking the Siberian shelves of the Arctic Ocean with the Nordic seas. During the last Glacial Maximum most of these shelves were above sea level and developed thick permafrost sequences which are today sub-marine after they experienced the post-Glacial late Pleistocene and Holocene transgression. The history of the sub-marine permafrost and its modern state of decay are largely unknown.

Description: About the German research activities in the polar regions: Since the International Geophysical Year 1957 scientists from both German states actively participated in international projects in Greenland and Svalbard and worked as guest scientists at various research stations in Antarctica. When the Federal Republic of Germany became a consultative member to the Antarctic Treaty system in 1981, for the first time in the history of German polar research an institutionalised long term polar research programme was established. The Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar Research, today Alfred Wegener Institute – Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) was founded in 1980 as a national scientific centre for polar research. It operates the major infrastructure for logistics and science in both polar pegions. In the Antarctic the Federal Agency for Geosciences and Natural Resources and Geo-Research (BGR) and the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) dispose of further research facilities. To meet the latest technical and scientific requirements, AWI’s polar infrastructure has been permanently improved or replaced, if necessary. Likewise AWI supported initiatives to further develop the international cooperation in logistics, in order to improve access and joint operation of research stations in polar regions. For almost 30 years the German polar research programme with its infrastructure is closely internationally linked. It contributed to key research programme and has a significant share in the current in-depth understanding of the role of the polar regions within the Earth system. It is mandatory to keep this high level for the upcoming research activities.