Wagnis, Mut, Verantwortung – Vortrags- und Diskussionsreihe 2025/26

Eingefroren am Nordpol – Expedition zum Epizentrum des Klimawandels

It was the largest Arctic expedition ever. In October 2019, the research icebreaker Polarstern froze itself into the Arctic sea ice in order to drift through the central Arctic for a whole year using only the power of natural ice drift. Supported by six other ships as well as aeroplanes and helicopters, the immediate vicinity of the North Pole was reached in winter for the first time with a modern research icebreaker.

The scientists followed in the footsteps of Fridtjof Nansen's historic expedition from 1893 to 1896. Despite extreme conditions, Arctic storms, a constantly changing ice landscape and the unforeseen challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic, they explored the climate system of the central Arctic in greater detail than ever before. And the Arctic is the epicentre of climate change. Here, warming is occurring more than three times faster than in the rest of the world. Expedition leader Markus Rex reports on the dramatic climate change in the Arctic, the rapid disappearance of Arctic ice, and provides insight into the course and results of this unique expedition. He also discusses the questions that arise for international climate policy as a result.

Lecture in cooperation with the Hessian State Agency for Civic Education

Prof. Dr. Markus Rex
Markus Rex is Professor of Atmospheric Physics at the University of Potsdam and heads atmospheric research at the Alfred Wegener Institute, the Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research. After studying physics, geophysics and meteorology at the Universities of Braunschweig and Göttingen, Rex received his doctorate from the Free University of Berlin in 1997. This was followed by positions at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) of the US space agency NASA, the California Institute of Technology, and the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand. In 2013, he qualified as a professor at the University of Bremen. He led the MOSAiC project, the largest Arctic expedition ever undertaken. He has received numerous awards for his contributions to polar climate research, including the SEADEVCON Maritime Award in 2020, the Arctic Circle Award in 2022 and the International Arctic Science Committee Award in 2024.

Stephan Hübner
Stephan Hübner is editor for education and science at hr-iNFO, the information radio station of Hessischer Rundfunk. A trained biologist, he reports primarily on biodiversity, the environment, climate and ecology, as well as other scientific topics. He is also one of the hosts of the daily talk show ‘Doppelkopf’ on hr2-kultur, and together with Jennifer Sieglar, he hosts the hr children's science podcast ‘Wunderwigwam’. Outside of hr, Stephan Hübner works as an author, presenter, performer and magician.

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