Alfred Wegener Institute

The AWI is named after the German polar explorer Alfred Wegener, who discovered the continental drift. The institute was first launched in 1980 with only a handful of employees, but since then that number has risen to more than a thousand. The AWI is a foundation under public law and member of the Helmholtz Association - the largest scientific organization in Germany. In addition to its base in Bremerhaven, it also has facilities in Potsdam, on Helgoland and in List on the isle of Sylt. As the Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, the institute is primarily active in the cold and temperate regions of the world. Working together with numerous national and international partners, the centre is involved in unravelling the complex processes at work in the Earth system.