In this study, we aimed to determine gifted students' views on popular polar phenomena and to investigate the origins of their information sources. We used a case study method involving a total of 27 gifted secondary school students in the fifth, seventh, and eighth grades. We asked 15 open-ended questions to understand the phenomena and examined the data using descriptive analysis. The results of the study revealed that the students were familiar with physical science concepts such as auroras and the midnight sun but had a limited or partial understanding of phenomena related to earth sciences, such as glaciers, permafrost, and polar vortices. The source of information varied depending on the phenomenon: the internet and school lessons were primary sources for auroras, while documentaries and media were primary sources for glaciers and polar vortices. These findings indicate that gifted students' misconceptions and partial knowledge shed light on the need for enhanced curriculum content, practical workshops, and teacher education to strengthen their understanding of polar sciences. Understanding these misconceptions can guide educators in designing educational strategies that foster curiosity and scientific literacy in gifted students, thereby improving science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education related to polar phenomena.
Penguins are among the most distinctive birds of the Antarctic and sub-Antarctic, and their story spans from extinct “giant” fossil species to the penguins that breed today. This overview brings together evidence from fossils, ancient colony remains, chemical records, and modern monitoring to place today's population changes in a long environmental context. Fossils from Seymour Island and other Southern Hemisphere sites show that penguins have persisted for more than 60 million years, including during much warmer periods, followed by major changes as Antarctica cooled and became dominated by ice. Records from past colonies and genetic studies show that penguin populations repeatedly expanded, contracted, and shifted their ranges as sea ice and ocean conditions changed over thousands of years, highlighting how strongly penguins depend on sea ice and marine food webs. Eight Antarctic and sub-Antarctic species are assessed, summarizing current status and pressures using recent conservation assessments alongside ecological and satellite-based studies. Trends differ strongly by region: some populations, such as gentoo penguins in parts of the Antarctic Peninsula, have expanded or shifted their range, while others have declined or appear highly sensitive to changes in food availability. Looking ahead, risk is shaped by connected processes rather than warming alone. Ice-dependent species are most vulnerable where reliable sea ice is disappearing or breaking up earlier, whereas krill-dependent species face added risk where climate-driven changes in krill overlap with concentrated fishing. New tools that are improving monitoring and forecasting are highlighted, including satellite and aerial colony surveys, animal tracking, remote cameras, and improved krill mapping, alongside key remaining uncertainties such as juvenile survival, winter behavior, and the fine-scale conditions near colonies. Overall, this synthesis emphasizes a central contrast: penguins have shown resilience over deep time, yet their near-future persistence may be constrained by the speed and combined pressures of human-driven change.
The 12th International Conference on Permafrost (ICOP) was held in Whitehorse, Canada, from 16 to 20 June 2024, with the overall theme “Integrating perspectives of permafrost thaw, change, and adaptation”. The conference brought together numerous different permafrost-related research disciplines, allowing for inter- and intra-disciplinary exchange and collaboration. Over 470 permafrost researchers from all over the world gathered in Whitehorse to attend the conference and share their findings, in a place where permafrost is also highly relevant to the local community, environment, and infrastructure. The conference venue was a great place to exchange ideas and a great place for graduate students and early career scientists who want to be actively involved in the permafrost community. Funding from the German Society for Polar Research (DGP) enabled three early career scientists from Germany to attend the conference and benefit from this unique opportunity to gain knowledge, skills, and inspiration, and to expand their network in the scientific community. We would like to emphasize that such funding is extremely valuable for fostering the integration of early career researchers (ECRs) into the global research community.
The 10th International Conference on Arctic Margins (ICAM-X) in 2025 was held in Bremen, Germany, and included eight sessions, covering topics from tectonics and sedimentology to tools for digital teaching and outreach, in addition to the history and geopolitics perspective. Interesting keynotes, presentations, and posters, as well as engaging discussions and breakout sessions, made the conference a valuable learning experience for everyone. The relatively small size of the Arctic geoscience community made the conference an excellent platform for international networking opportunities. Two PhD candidates from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) were supported by the German Society of Polar Research (DGP) in attending the conference and summarize their experience in the following.
Die einzigen kriegerischen Handlungen während des Zweiten Weltkriegs in der Antarktis fanden aufgrund des Einsatzes von Hilfskreuzern der deutschen Kriegsmarine statt. Dabei handelte es sich um bewaffnete Handelsschiffe, die unter der Flagge anderer Nationen operierten, um alliierten Patrouillen zu entkommen. Ihr Ziel war es, feindliche Schiffe, vorwiegend Handels- und Frachtschiffe, zu versenken oder zu kapern. In der Antarktis waren sie für eine der größten Kaperaktionen des Konflikts verantwortlich, was zu den einzigen direkten Kriegshandlungen zwischen zwei Nationen auf diesem Kontinent führte. Nach der Darstellung deutscher Interessen an der Antarktis in der Vorkriegszeit folgt eine detaillierte Beschreibung der Aktivitäten dieser Schiffe, gefolgt von einer Analyse geopolitischer Folgen für andere Nationen.
Abstract. In January 2025, for the 15th time, the DACH Permafrost Union (Arbeitskreis Permafrost) held its regular conference. Hosted by the WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research (SLF), the 3 d event in Davos, Switzerland, brought together scientists working on polar and mountain permafrost. The large number of participants, and especially of young researchers, reflects the importance of the DACH Permafrost Conference, not just due to the various scientific contributions but also for workshops, field trips, and social gatherings. Five early-career scientists received financial support from the German Society of Polar Research (DGP) to present their projects and outcomes as posters and talks and to exchange with the broad permafrost community.
Else Wegener stammt aus einer bedeutenden deutsch-russischen Gelehrtenfamilie. 1913 heiratete sie den Grönlandforscher Alfred Wegener, der 1930 auf dem Inlandeis Grönlands starb. Else Wegener veröffentlichte die Berichte der letzten Expedition ihres Mannes in einem populären Buch, das den Polarforscher auch außerhalb von Fachkreisen sehr bekannt machte. Mit den von ihr herausgegebenen Biografien Wegeners und ihres Vaters trug sie zur öffentlichen Erinnerung an die beiden Gelehrten entscheidend bei. Die Deutsche Gesellschaft für Polarforschung führte im Jahr 2024 eine Else-Wegener-Medaille ein, die für Verdienste in Öffentlichkeitsarbeit, Wissenstransfer und Nachwuchsförderung verliehen wird. Die bisher unveröffentlichten hier widergegebenen Verwandtschaftsverhältnisse und Personendaten stammen aus Kirchenbüchern und Standesamtsurkunden, die über entsprechende Portale online einsehbar sind.
During World War II, the German Kriegsmarine and Luftwaffe operated a series of weather stations on Svalbard between 1941 and 1945 to obtain information on synoptic weather situations in the Arctic. These activities also included some of the first automatic weather stations. With a few exceptions, the meteorological observations from these military stations are regarded as lost. Most of these observations could now be retrieved from weather maps of the German Zentrale Wetterdienstgruppe (ZWG) that are preserved in the archives of the Deutscher Wetterdienst (DWD). Reports of surface pressure and temperature have been digitized for the military weather stations Bansö in 1941/42, Knospe in 1941/42, Nussbaum in 1942/43, Kreuzritter in 1943/44, and Svartisen in 1943/44 and for automatic weather stations operated on Svalbard. These data can help to close the existing gap in the Svalbard climate record for 1941–1945 and to provide additional observational constraints for future climate reanalysis. These data also provide a new perspective on the history of the German meteorological activities in the Arctic during World War II by showing the impact these observations had on the meteorological analyses. In this sense, this paper also tries to bridge the gap between climate research and history.
Vom 22. bis 23. September 2023 fand im Technikmuseum „Hugo Junkers“ Dessau eine Tagung anlässlich des 100. Jahrestages der Junker'schen Hilfsexpedition nach Spitzbergen statt. In diesem vorliegenden Tagungsbericht wird zunächst der historische Kontext der Hilfsexpedition erläutert. Im zweiten Teil werden die Tagungsinhalte chronologisch zusammengefasst. In einem dritten Teil werden diese literarisch rezipiert sowie an die historische Polarforschung angeschlossen.
Anlässlich des 50. Todestages von Fritz Loewe (1895–1974) wird hier sein Rückblick auf „60 Jahre Leben mit dem Eis“ erstmals publiziert. Loewe wollte diesen Vortrag 1974 im Bergsteigerklub der Melbourner Universität halten, aber er starb überraschend wenige Tage zuvor. Eine maschinenschriftliche Kopie von seinem Vortrag in deutscher Sprache befindet sich im Nachlass des österreichischen Bergsteigers Matthias Koglbauer (1912–2006) in Graz. Loewe hatte Koglbauer 1963 während der Polartagung in Karlsruhe kennengelernt und korrespondierte seitdem mit ihm über die grönländische Eisdecke. Loewes Vortragsmanuskript hat Matthias Koglbauers Frau Helene Cornelia Lüdecke freundlicherweise zur Publikation 50 Jahre nach Loewes Tod überlassen. Es wird hier (im Appendix A1) wortwörtlich und ungekürzt in der damaligen Rechtschreibung mit einigen Erläuterungen in den Fußnoten wiedergegeben. Zum besseren Verständnis von Loewes Aktivitäten und Erlebnissen wird eine ausführliche Biographie vorangestellt.
Erich von Drygalski führte in den Jahren 1891 und 1892/93 gemeinsam mit dem Biologen Ernst Vanhöffen umfangreiche Forschungsarbeiten in Westgrönland durch, wobei zur Überwinterung eine Forschungsstation am Großen Karajak-Gletscher errichtetet wurde. An gleicher Stelle erfolgten durch eine Gruppe der Technischen Universität Dresden 2007 und 2019 geodätische Feldarbeiten. Im Beitrag werden das Areal der damaligen Station sowie die geodätisch-glaziologischen Forschungsarbeiten Erich von Drygalskis vorgestellt. Ein Vergleich mit heutigen Messungen zeigt, dass sich der Große Karajak-Gletscher in 120 Jahren kaum verändert hat.
Abstract. Science communication is becoming increasingly important to connect academia and society and to counteract misinformation. Online video platforms, such as YouTube, allow easily accessible communication of scientific knowledge to audiences made up of the general public. In April 2020, a diverse group of researchers from the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, launched the YouTube channel called “Wissenschaft fürs Wohnzimmer” (translated to “Living Room Science”) to stream scientific talks about climate change and biodiversity every Thursday evening, with the aim to reach a broad range of members of the public with a general interest in science and climate. Here we report on the numbers and diversity of content, viewers, and presenters from 2 years and 100 episodes of weekly livestreams. Presented topics encompass all areas of polar research, the scientific and societal aspects of climate change and biodiversity loss, and new technologies to deal with the changing world and climate of the future. We show that constant engagement by a group of co-hosts and presenters representing all topics, career stages, and genders enables the continuous growth of views and subscriptions, i.e. a measurable impact. After 783 d, the channel gained 30 251 views and 828 subscribers and hosted well-known scientists, while enabling especially early-career researchers to foster their outreach and media skills. We show that interactive and science-related videos, both live and on-demand, within a pleasant atmosphere, can be produced alongside the main research activity by scientists, while also maintaining high quality. We further discuss the challenges and possible improvements for the future. Our experiences will help other researchers conduct meaningful scientific outreach and push the boundaries of existing formats towards a better understanding of climate change and our planet.
