The Expedition ANT-XXVII/4

20 April 2011 - 20 May 2011

Cape Town - Las Palmas - Bremerhaven

On 20 April 2011 RV Polarstern will start its Atlantic transfer from Cape Town to Bremerhaven with a short stop in Las Palmas as last leg of Antarctic cruise ANT-XXVII. The cruise will be utilized for continuous investigations of atmospheric and marine properties as well as for energy and material fluxes between ocean and atmosphere. The cruise will end in Bremerhaven on 20 May 2011.

The following projects will be carried out:

Development of autonomous measurement platforms for energy and material exchange between ocean and atmosphere (OCEANET - Atmosphere & Ocean)

In order to provide a solid basis for the observational monitoring of energy and material exchange between ocean and atmosphere it is planned to develop an autonomous observation system for operational use onboard available cargo- and research vessels. The project is based on a network of expertise from IFM-GEOMAR (CO₂-/O₂-fluxes, photosynthetic status, energy budget, remote sensing), IfT (lidar measurements), the GKSS research center (ferry box, remote sensing of marine biology with ENVISAT/MERIS) and AWI-Bremerhaven (CO₂-system, marine infrastructure of RV Polarstern).

Rate measurement of cosmic particles in dependence on latitude and weather conditions

Continuous rate measurements of cosmic particles allow to estimate their dependency on latitude due to the Earth’s magnetic field. Simultaneous cloud observations allow to investigate whether the concentration of cosmic particles influences cloudiness or vice versa.

Occurrence, distribution and stable carbon isotope composition of methyl halides along a south-north transect of the Atlantic Ocean

The concentrations and stable carbon isotope distribution of methyl halides will be measured in air and surface water along a south-north transect from Cape Town, South Africa, to Bremerhaven.

Role of temperature, CO₂ and oxygen in evolution: Integrative ecophysiological studies on marine animals

Live animals which have been caught during ANT-XXVII/3 will be transferred alive to Bremerhaven where they will be used for further investigations.