Archive of News and Press Releases
RV Polarstern opens its doors to the public
On the weekend of 22 and 23 April, Germany’s largest research vessel, the icebreaker Polarstern, will open her doors to the public as part of the Science Year 2016*17 – Seas and Oceans. As they walk about the ship, visitors can tour the laboratories, living accommodations, and the bridge, giving them a feel for what it’s like to be part of an expedition. Further, the Alfred Wegener Institute will highlight its research efforts in exhibitions arrayed around the ship on the grounds of the Lloyd Werft shipyards. Science dating, presentations and fireside…
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Litter is present throughout the world’s oceans: 1,220 species affected
Where is marine litter concentrated, and which species and ecosystems does it affect? Researchers at the Alfred Wegener Institute have for the first time compiled all scientific data published on marine litter in a single, comprehensive database, now accessible from the online portal AWI Litterbase (www.litterbase.org).
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Summary
In this last weekly report, I will give a short résumé of our exciting expedition. We left with great expectations for the Amundsen Sea 6 weeks ago with the MeBo drilling device and other scientific equipment on board to collect samples and data that will help us to decipher the history of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet.
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When the sea ice melts, juvenile polar cod may go hungry
Polar cod fulfil a key role in the Arctic food web, as they are a major source of food for seals, whales and seabirds alike. But the polar cod themselves might soon be the hungry ones. Under the ice of the central Arctic, the juvenile fish are indirectly but heavily dependent on ice algae. As a result, retreating sea ice could have far-reaching impacts on the food web. Though researchers have long since suspected this relation existed, an international team of researchers led by the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI), Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine…
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Look, who is calling?
Four different types of killer whales live in the Southern Ocean. They are known to differ in feeding ecology and appearance. However, little is known about the distribution and behaviour of these different killer whale ecotypes. To answer these questions, scientists monitor the whales’ communication with specific underwater sound recorders. However, so far nobody knew, which calls the different ecotypes are using.
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End of a successful Expedition
A world of gigantic icebergs made the scenery which Polarstern passed through on its track from Pine Island Bay to the western Amundsen Sea Embayment. The icebergs are so abundant here because of a bathymetric ridge that extends northwards from Bear Peninsula and onto which the icebergs are grounded and move only slightly at the peaks of high tide.
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Interesting Discoveries
A week passed by that was full of alternating expectations and events. Sea ice got in the way, but such is life when working in polar environments. But there is always a Plan B, and this time we continued in the eastern part of the Amundsen Sea Embayment, where sea ice and weather conditions were more favourable.
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Adventure in the Ice
Two-and-a-half years from now, the research vessel Polarstern will depart on an adventurous expedition. For an entire year, the ship will drift through the Arctic, stuck in the pack ice. Using this approach, the researchers hope to gain new insights into climate change. The project was recently presented to a broader audience at the Annual Meeting of the AAAS in Boston, USA.
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The MeBo drilling program and stations on land
An exciting week has passed with changing plans as becoming part of the daily routine. Why is it impossible to follow a many days’ long work program in this region? Our work is mainly focussed on the drilling program with the MeBo.
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The second week
A broad belt of thick pack ice normally blocks the northern entrance to the shelf of the Amundsen Sea Embayment. But we encountered an unusually small sea-ice cover as also observed by satellite data from around entire Antarctica this southern summer. With only an average 3/10 to 5/10 ice cover, Polarstern easily managed to pass this belt so that we soon arrived at our first station west of Thurston Island to sample marine sediments.
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