Kühlungsborn, 26.02.2026 – Researchers of IAP successfully detect lithium from rocket re-entry at an altitude of around 100 kilometres for the first time. A milestone for atmospheric research.
Read moreKühlungsborn, 06.02.2026 – Our PhD student Jennifer Hartisch has successfully defended her doctoral thesis.
Read moreKühlungsborn, 01.10.2025 – Dr. Astrid Maute took over as head of the Satellite Data Analysis working group at the IAP on October 1, 2025. She earned her doctorate at the University of Stuttgart and then worked as a scientist at the High Altitude Observatory of the NCAR, at CIRES at the University of Colorado Boulder, and at the Space Weather Prediction Center/NOAA in Boulder (USA). Her areas of expertise include the coupling between the ionosphere and the atmosphere as well as the ionospheric dynamo, which she researches using satellite data and physical modeling. We look forward to working with her!
Read moreKühlungsborn, 27.08.2025 – Today, Patrick Dahlemann, Head of the State Chancellery of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, visited the Leibniz Institute for Atmospheric Physics in Kühlungsborn. The visit took place as part of his summer tour this year, which takes him to companies, associations, and institutions in the state. Mr. Dahlemann was accompanied by Olivia Arndt, the mayor of Kühlungsborn. After a short tour of the institute, there was an opportunity for a short discussion with representatives of the IAP. Topics included research at the institute and interfaces with society and regional development. The IAP is delighted about the interest shown by state politicians and the opportunity for direct exchange.
Read moreKühlungsborn, 07.07.2025 - Last Saturday at precisely 8 a.m., a research rocket with the MaxiDusty-2 payload was successfully launched from Andøya Space. The launch took place on the seventh countdown day after a two-week integration phase. The aim of the mission is to collect dust particles in the mesosphere and then investigate them further in the laboratory. In order to gain a better physical understanding of the formation and growth of these particles, important atmospheric parameters were measured using the CONE and Faraday rocket instruments developed by the IAP. The rocket was intended to fly specifically through dust clouds in the mesosphere - for example through regions with noctilucent clouds (NLC) or polar mesospheric summer echoes (PMSE). With the help of our lidar at the ALOMAR observatory and the MAARSY radar, we were able to identify suitable flight conditions. The flight and the recovery of the payload were successful. The scientific instruments have already been dismantled, cleaned and prepared for return transportation.
Read moreKühlungsborn, 02.07.2025 - On June 30, 2025, the official start of the new excellence research project AIR-MoPSY took place in Greifswald. The aim of the four-year project is to develop a GPS-independent, radio-based navigation solution for the Baltic Sea. The aim is to sustainably strengthen maritime safety in the region. AIR-MoPSY is an interdisciplinary research network coordinated by the University of Greifswald. Other project partners are the DLR Institute of Solar-Terrestrial Physics, the DLR Institute of Communications and Navigation in Neustrelitz, the Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research Warnemünde (IOW) and the Leibniz Institute of Atmospheric Physics (IAP) in Kühlungsborn. AIR-MoPSY is being funded as part of the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state competition for application-oriented excellence research with five million euros from the European Regional Development Fund. Science Minister Bettina Martin emphasized the importance of the project at the kick-off: “The project is an outstanding example of application-oriented research and has rightfully been selected as one of five projects in the competition for excellence research.” Further information on the project can be found on our project page.
Read moreKühlungsborn, 03.06.2025 - The new Arte documentary “The Mysterious World of Clouds” focuses on the fascinating and complex phenomena of clouds. The documentary was first broadcast on May 31, 2025 and is now available in the Arte media library. Part of the filming took place at the Leibniz Institute of Atmospheric Physics in Kühlungsborn. The focus was on our research into noctilucent clouds - the highest clouds on Earth, which occur at an altitude of around 80 kilometers in the polar summer mesosphere. Prof. Gerd Baumgarten explains in an interview how these extraordinary clouds are observed using special lidar systems and what scientific insights they offer for our understanding of the middle atmosphere. The documentary shows other international research projects - from the cloud tower in Leipzig and measurement flights in Australia to cloud utilization in the Canary Islands - and poses the question of how human influences could change the cloud system.
Read moreKühlungsborn, 20.05.2025 - On May 15, 2025, the Leibniz Institute of Atmospheric Physics took part in the Long Night of Science in Rostock. Under the title “Research at the edge of space”, we presented our work in the boundary region between the atmosphere and space - an altitude range of around 100 km that is of great importance for understanding climate-relevant processes and for space travel. The information stand in the physics research building was well attended throughout. Numerous visitors came to learn about our measurement methods with lidars, radars, sounding rockets and satellites and asked many interested questions. Dr. Staszak also gave a public lecture in Lecture Hall 3 of the Physics Department on the topic“Insight into the Ignorosphere - Growing Challenges at the Boundary to Space”. The current state of knowledge on the little-understood interface between the atmosphere and space was highlighted and new challenges posed by the industrial use of near-Earth orbit were discussed. We would like to thank all guests for their keen interest and are already looking forward to the next Long Night of Science.
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