Topics at CEN

Extreme climates can occur due to climate change. Agriculture suffers from this. At the same time, it contributes significantly to climate change through its greenhouse gas emissions. At CEN, scientists are working on smart agriculture in the context of climate change.

One of the consequences of climate change in the Arctic is that glaciers are disappearing, permafrost is thawing and sea ice is melting. This in turn can accelerate global warming in different ways.

The urban climate often differs from the rural climate. Cities are usually denser, less green and produce more emissions. That is why the average temperature is often higher there and the wind blows differently than on land. At CEN, scientists are investigating both how cities can protect the...

The number of animal and plant species worldwide is decreasing dramatically. Meanwhile, the United Nations is trying to increase the number of protected areas. The European Union aims to protect at least 30 percent of its territory - not that easy.

At CEN we are not only concerned with climate research, we are also concerned with the communication. How can communication on climate and climate change take place in a scientifically sound and target group-specific way?

Climate models are highly complex computer programs that try to express the climate system in mathematical equations. They can be used to create so-called climate projections that show possible developments in the climate. CEN scientists also use, develop and refine climate models for special...

At the United Nations World Climate Conference, climate protection measures are discussed or adopted annually. The discussion behavior and progress there, but also the massive media coverage, are being extensively researched.
 

Clouds are an important part of the climate system. Depending on how high they are, they can cool the climate or heat it up. For example, they influence how much solar radiation reaches the earth. At CEN we are researching the cloud system by plane, ship and satellite.

Climate change can threaten the security and stability of states and societies. Especially where unrest or civil wars are already occurring, climate change multiplies risks. At CEN, scientists are studying the connection between climate change, crises, conflicts and migration.

Energy can be obtained from conventional energy sources such as coal, oil, natural gas and nuclear fuels as well as from renewable energy sources such as wind, water, sun, biomass and geothermal energy. How we generate energy and how we use it has a massive impact on the climate. The climate...

Technical measures and methods that intervene in the climate system to limit global warming are called geoengineering. The scientists at CEN are concerned with the technology of geoengineering as well as its political and social importance.

Climate change is an existential threat to many small islands. Some of them are so low lying that the rise in sea level threatens entire coastlines or even their entire area. Solutions are developed not only scientifically, but also politically and socially, how best to react to the rise in sea...

With the research aircraft HALO ("High Altitude and Long Range Research Aircraft"), CEN scientists are studying the earth's atmosphere and clouds. HALO is owned by the German Aerospace Center.

Research ships are laboratories at sea. They are used in various disciplines such as geology, meteorology, oceanography, fisheries science and marine biology. CEN members mainly use the German research vessels SONNE and METEOR for their research.

The world's oceans cover more than 70 percent of the earth's surface. They regulate the global climate because they bind a large part of the CO2 emissions produced by humans and also store and transport heat. In addition, half of our oxygen comes from the sea. At CEN, we deal, among other...

The earth's crust is constantly in motion. Sometimes it produces only a slight background noise, sometimes mighty plates shift or a volcano erupts. Seismology can also be used to assess the safety of underground storage facilities, for example for carbon compression, in short CCS.

Trees can absorb carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere and store it in the long term. This weakens the greenhouse effect and plays an important role in the climate system. At the same time, the trees in the forest and in the city have to adapt to climate change.