As the Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, the Alfred Wegener Institute is primarily active in the cold and temperate regions of the world. Working together with numerous national and international partners, we are actively involved in unravelling the complex processes at work in the “Earth System”. Our planet is undergoing fundamental climate change; the polar regions and the oceans, which play central roles in the global climate system, are in flux. How will planet Earth evolve? Do the phenomena we’re observing represent short-term fluctuations or long-term trends? Polar and marine research has always been a fascinating scientific challenge; today it is also research into the future.
Scientists at the Biological Institute Helgoland (BAH) of the Alfred Wegener Institute study biotic communities in the North Sea. Helgoland is the only German island located in the open sea, approximately 70 kilometers from the mainland. The rocky mudflat and the 35 square kilometer large submarine cliff landscape are home to the richest flora and fauna of the German coast – an oasis. Since 1892 scientists investigate this unique environment and since 1998 the Biological Institute Helgoland belongs to the Alfred Wegener Institute.