The GFZ mourns the loss of Achim Ohlert (née Morschhauser). The colleague from Section 2.3 “Geomagnetism” died of leukemia at the age of 41. He had been ill for some years and we had supported him in his search for a bone marrow donation in August 2022.

Achim's field of work was geomagnetic observatories and magnetic field models. His magnetic field model of the planet Mars is recognized worldwide and is widely used. He was given a permanent position as a scientist at the GFZ very early on in his career. This shows how impressive his scientific achievements were and how convincingly he was able to dedicate himself to new tasks.

He worked at the geomagnetic observatories of the GFZ and in particular at the Niemegk Observatory. There he very quickly set important new impulses and led many projects. Achim worked not only in Niemegk, but also with observatories in Iceland, Ireland, Brazil, on the Atlantic islands of Tristan da Cunha and St. Helena as well as in the Maldives and last but not least in southern Germany, in Schiltach in the Black Forest. There are people everywhere who have worked with him and who have come to know and appreciate him. This also applies to the many international colleagues with whom he was in regular contact, be it in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Africa or America.

Jürgen Matzka, working group leader at the observatory in Niemegk, says: “Achim was a special and particularly friendly, kind and pleasant person. We always saw how important his family was to him and we admired his optimism. We think of him often, especially recently. A few weeks ago, there was a big observatory meeting in Brazil, where many people asked about him and many sent greetings and wished him all the best.” Jürgen Matzka's team is currently preparing a trip to Antarctica. It should have been Achim who went there. Achim Ohlert died in his home in southwest Germany on November 9. He leaves behind a wife and a daughter.