As a signatory of the Antarctic Treaty, the Federal Republic of Germany has committed itself to the exclusively peaceful use of the area south of the 60°latitude South. The Antarctic expeditions carried out by BGR have helped to ensure that the Federal Republic of Germany has been a member of the Consultative Parties since 1981 and that this status can be continued.

The formation of the Arctic Ocean and the development of the surrounding continents continue to pose great challenges to science. In order to answer unresolved questions about geodynamics, the formation of mineral deposits and palaeoclimate, the BGR's Circum-Arctic-Structural Events (CASE) research programme is investigating the geology of the land masses along the Arctic Ocean in space and time, also against the background of the current geopolitical situation.

In the polar regions, the harsh conditions and the remoteness of the working areas present considerable challenges to the logistics of expeditions. However, the BGR scientists and their guests from other polar research institutions benefit from the logistics department's well-established procedures and contacts, which have been built up over decades.

Since the 1970s, BGR has been actively involved in geoscientific research in the polar regions. Initially, the organisation cooperated with international partners, but over time it has increasingly undertaken its own expeditions.

The National Polar Sample Archive in Berlin-Spandau is used for the long-term storage of polar rock samples from geoscientific Antarctic and Arctic projects at various universities and research institutions.

In national and international cooperation, BGR explores the structure of the Earth's crust in the polar regions, which are largely ice-covered and difficult to access.

Here you will find a comprehensive collection of BGR's polar expedition results. Discover a variety of publications, detailed maps and multimedia content documenting scientific findings from many years of research in the polar regions. These materials offer insights into the geoscientific exploration of the polar regions and are accessible to both experts and the interested public.