News

European ice core drilling project at Kohnen station retrieves old ice for climate research
At the Kohnen station operated by Alfred-Wegener-Institute for Polar- and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, the international drilling team reached a depth of 2000 meters on January 7 at 0210 hours. The ice from that depth is about 100.000 years old and yields information on climate conditions of the distant past.

Simulation of iceberg scraping: the first field experiment to test re-colonization of the seafloor in Antarctica

The 'Polarstern', research vessel of the Alfred-Wegener-Institute for Polar and Marine Research, has just started a long-term field experiment on Antarctica's seafloor. Scientists are investigating how bare patches of the ocean's floor are re-colonized after disturbance events such as scraping icebergs.

One week before Christmas we "Überwinterer" are finally alone. We, that is station engineer Konstanze Piel and station leader Jens Kube. What does "alone" mean here in Ny-Ålesund? Mainly, that we are the only ones left at the German Koldewey-Station. The village of Ny-Ålesund, our home for one year, is hosting about thirty more people, most from Norway, but also from Sweden, China, and Japan. So we are not really lonely. And of cause, we also have contact to our friends, family, and colleagues by the means of modern communication.

Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) convenes July 25 through July 31 2004

The 28th International Antarctic conference of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research will take place in the Congress Centre in Bremen July 25 through July 31 2004. About 600 scientists from more than 30 countries are expected to attend this most important Antarctic research meeting. All disciplines of Antarctic research will be represented. Hence, the SCAR conference will provide a good opportunity to find out about the current status of and perspectives…

During the first days of December, the Kohnen-Station resumed activity for the season. Since then, the expedition team has reached its full complement. The members are doing well under sunny skies with temperatures of minus twenty degree celsius. There were no major problems in getting used to the altitude change from sea level to 3000 m within just a few hours.

The over winterer team at the Neumayer station witnessed the last solar eclipse of the year
In the late evening of November 23rd (climax 23:27 UTC) a partial solar eclipse was visible in the Antarctic.

Scientists at the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) are handling the oldest ice that has ever been unearthed: The ice cores, which were drilled during last winter in the Antarctic research station Dome C, are up to 900.000 years old.

Disturbance in the Magnetic Field

The great geomagnetic storm from 29 Octobre 2003 encountered the Magnetometers on Neumayer-Base/Antarctica at 06:12 am.

Polarstern sets off for the Antarctic
On Wednesday, 22nd October, 2003, the research ice-breaker of the Alfred
Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) - Polarstern -
will depart on her 21st Antarctic expedition. Studies of the decay of
the ozone layer and of communities on the Southern Ocean sea floor are
planned.

19th Arctic research expedition successfully concluded
On 13th October, Polarstern, research ice-breaker of the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, will return to Bremerhaven after a 20 week long research cruise in Arctic waters. Over 200 scientists from 11 nations made use of the 118 metre long ship to research biological, geological and oceanographic processes west of Ireland, in the Arctic deep sea and in the fjords of east Greenland, during two cruise legs.