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SynCom, together with Helmholtz KLIMA, submits a statement on the Federal Government's climate protection program
As part of the public consultation process for the German Federal Government's climate protection program, Helmholtz SynCom, together with Helmholtz KLIMA, submitted a statement. The Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Protection, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN) is currently developing the climate protection program in accordance with § 9 of the Federal Climate Protection Act and will publish it in March 2026. Researchers from eight Helmholtz Centers contributed to the statement, including six Centers from the Helmholtz Research Field Earth & Environment.
At its core, the Helmholtz researchers call for closing the remaining emissions gaps with a mix of concrete measures. They recommend a faster expansion of renewable energies, accompanied by grids, storage, and flexibility, so that the electricity system can support the decarbonization of other sectors. The statement focuses on land use, transportation, and buildings. Effective instruments and reliable frameworks are needed there to trigger investments and scale measures. The researchers particularly emphasize the importance of natural carbon sinks: oceans, soils, forests, and peatlands must be consistently strengthened and protected – with effective agricultural and forestry policies as well as regulatory guidelines. Without stable sinks, further target shortfalls are likely, which will be difficult to rectify later. The researchers also identify governance as crucial for credibility and controllability: clear responsibilities, a stronger integration of climate protection, and climate adaptation – explicitly also with regard to water extremes – as well as monitoring that makes impact and target achievement transparent and enables adjustments.
The full statement can be found here (German).
© pixabay/Leonhard Niederwimmer
Questions and Answers about the Earthquakes Near Santorini
Regarding the increased seismic activity near the island of Santorini (Greece), the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel and the GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences Potsdam have published a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) on the current events.
Since January 24, 2025, an increase in frequency of weak to moderate earthquakes has been observed in the area between the two islands of Santorini and Amorgos. In eight answers, experts from the two research institutes assess the activity and address, among other things, the local characteristics and their history, the current state of earthquake monitoring methods, and potential risks.
The FAQ can be accessed via the following links:
GEOMAR:
https://www.geomar.de/news/article/fragen-und-antworten-zu-den-erdbeben-in-der-naehe-von-santorini
GFZ:
https://www.gfz.de/presse/meldungen/detailansicht/fragen-und-antworten-zu-den-erdbeben-bei-santorini
Numerous researchers from Helmholtz Earth and Environment are among the most frequently cited in 2024
The company Clarivate Analytics has released their list "Highly Cited Researchers" for 2024. This prestigious list includes scientists whose work has been cited particularly frequently and who rank among the top 1% of their respective fields in the "Web of Science," operated by Clarivate Analytics. The selection is also based on a comprehensive qualitative analysis and review by experts. This year, 6,636 researchers have been listed.
The researchers significantly propelled scientific progress and established an essential groundwork for both current and future scientific understanding. From the Helmholtz Research Field Earth and Environment, the following researchers are amongst the most-cited of their fields:
- Prof. Dr. Wulf Amelung (FZJ) works on nutrient cycles in soils, soil degradation, and the behavior of pollutants in soils.
- Prof. Dr. Almut Arneth (KIT) focuses on plant ecophysiology, particularly on modeling the interactions between climate change, land-use change, and various terrestrial ecosystem properties on a global scale.
- Prof. Dr. Thorsten Dittmar (HIFMB) researches the stability of dissolved organic matter (DOM) over millennia, molecular-level interactions among microorganisms, the application of innovative concepts in biogeochemical systems, and develops new methods in his field.
- Dr. Gunnar Gerdts (AWI) studies molecular microbial ecology, microplastics, and marine pollution.
- Prof. Dr. Guido Große (AWI) focuses on permafrost in the Earth system, arctic landscape dynamics, remote sensing of permafrost areas, permafrost thawing, permafrost hydrology, and the carbon budget of permafrost.
- Prof. Dr. Dagmar Haase (UFZ) works on concepts of urban ecosystem services in the context of urbanization, as well as green infrastructure and nature-based solutions. She emphasizes quantitative and qualitative studies supported by remote sensing methods. Additionally, she develops apps to make knowledge accessible to a broader audience and to connect science and citizens more closely.
- Prof. Dr. Martin Herold (GFZ) focuses on the development and implementation of large-scale monitoring systems to track landscape dynamics.
- Prof. Dr. Ingolf Kühn (UFZ) studies land-use patterns, environmental parameters, and the distribution of plant species on a macroecological scale, with a focus on the biological and ecological traits of invasive plants.
- Prof. Dr. Hans-Otto Pörtner (AWI) researches the effects of climate warming, ocean acidification, and hypoxia on marine animals and ecosystems. His focus is on the connections between ecological, physiological, biochemical, and molecular mechanisms that influence biogeography and ecosystems and define their tolerance limits.
- Dr. Sebastian Primpke (AWI) focuses on the ecology of shelf sea systems, particularly analyzing microplastics using FTIR and Raman spectroscopy.
- Prof. Dr. Josef Settele (UFZ) works on insect ecology in cultural landscapes, biodiversity, land use, and socio-ecological systems.
© Helmholtz/SynCom
SynCom CDR Expertise Mapping
Researchers from the Helmholtz Research Field Earth and Environment have developed an expertise mapping that provides an overview of research projects on CO2 removal.
The CDR Expertise Mapping is a searchable network that features a wide range of research projects focused on Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR). It aids CDR researchers in identifying projects that align with their expertise. The CDR Expertise Mapping not only facilitates connections among scientists seeking suitable collaboration partners but also builds a foundation for deeper dialogue between the scientific community and industry. This, in turn, promotes potential future collaborations.
The platform provides a user-friendly interface, allowing researchers to efficiently explore more than 50 projects across various subfields related to CDR, utilizing different filters, keywords, and free-text searches. The projects have been divided into biological and geochemical solutions, allowing, for example, a search by the categories ‘afforestation, reforestation, agroforestry, forest management’ or ‘direct air capture’. Up to nine different metadata are provided for each project, including contact persons, project descriptions, involved partners, but also the ‘technology readiness level’ and relevance for industry.
Launched on September 30, 2024, this initiative is a product of the one-year Helmholtz SynCom Project ‘Scaling up Carbon Dioxide Removal’.
A wide range of organizations and individuals are engaged in the projects described in the CDR Expertise Mapping and all contribute to progress in the field of CDR.
The main goal of the SynCom CDR Expertise Mapping is to make scientific information more accessible to academics, policymakers, and industry partners alike. This overview of CDR projects serves as a foundation for more intensive dialogue between science and industry while also promoting potential collaborations.
Explore the website, browse through the projects, and discover the contributions of various Helmholtz Earth and Environment Centers as well as scientific and industrial partners related to CDR.
FAQ in response to the floods of June 2024 in southern Germany
In response to the floods of June 2024 in southern Germany, experts from the Helmholtz Centre Potsdam, German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), and the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) answered frequently asked questions (FAQ) in a joined synthesis process. The scientists provide a scientific context for this summer's floods and address how we can handle future extreme events.
For the FAQ, visit:
GFZ:
www.gfz-potsdam.de/presse/meldungen/detailansicht/anlaesslich-der-hochwasserlage-in-sueddeutschland
UFZ:
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