The Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) is a national research institute of Germany and member of the Helmholtz Association (HGF) with a core budget of roughly 90 m€ and a third-party budget of 18.5 m€. The focus of the institute is on polar research (glaciology, meteorology, geophysics, oceanography, biology) as well as on biology of the wadden sea. The institute operates several aircraft, ships, stations, has facilities in Bremerhaven, Potsdam, and the the islands Helgoland and Sylt. Access to the aircraft is granted through applications reviewed by external reviewers. External projects need to cover the costs of the surveys.