Archive of News and Press Releases
When the Arctic coast retreats, life in the shallow water areas drastically changes
The thawing and erosion of Arctic permafrost coasts has dramatically increased in the past years and the sea is now consuming more than 20 meters of land per year at some locations. The earth masses removed in this process increasingly blur the shallow water areas and release nutrients and pollutants. Yet, the consequences of these processes on life in the coastal zone and on traditional fishing grounds are virtually unknown.
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We are leaving Cape Town
16. December, day of departure
As planned, Polarstern pushes away from the pier in Cape Town at 6pm, taking off for her 103rd expedition to the Antarctic.
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Manganese nodules as breeding ground for deep-sea octopuses
Manganese nodules on the seabed of the Pacific Ocean are an important breeding ground for deep-sea octopuses. As reported by a German-American team of biologists in the current issue of the journal Current Biology, the octopuses deposit their eggs onto sponges that only grow locally on manganese nodules. The researchers had observed the previously unknown octopus species during diving expeditions in the Pacific at depths of more than 4000 metres - new record depths for these octopuses. Their specific dependence on manganese nodules for brooding eggs…
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Large amounts of meltwater on the East Antarctic ice shelf
The East Antarctic ice shelves may be more vulnerable to climate change than previously assumed. A research team in cooperation with the Alfred Wegener Institute has detected large amounts of meltwater on the Roi Baudouin shelf ice. This is due to strong winds that blow away the snow. This is the result of a study which has now been published in the online edition of the journal Nature Climate Change.
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Climate change and its effects on marine life in Kongsfjorden
Kongsfjorden situated in western Spitsbergen is a Mecca for marine biologists and climatologists. Consequences of global change become apparent fast and are clearly visible on a small scale.
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Identifying age measurements distorted by fossil fuel emissions
Good news for archaeologists and natural scientists! You will be able to continue to use the radiocarbon method as a reliable tool for determining the age of artefacts and sample materials. The reduction of the carbon isotope 14C in the atmosphere accelerated by anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions and the associated distortion of the radiocarbon age of materials can be precisely identified - by measuring the carbon isotope 13C. This is the result of a study by AWI geoscientist Dr Peter Köhler, which was published today in the journal Environmental…
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Saharan dust and atmospheric smoke in Neptunes´ realm.
The week began with dust in the atmosphere and ended with Neptune's arrival on our ship.
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Working near the Equator
In the past week we have been travelling from 30° N towards the Equator and it has been getting steadily warmer with each mile traversed.
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Bound for Cape Town
When one spends hours in the winch room deploying rosette and CTD to 4900 m depth. one has a lot of time to deliberate the passing of the first expedition week at sea, even though one is concentrating hard with the winch driver making sure the sampling bottle releases are at the right depths.
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Lupinemeal is a sustainable and low-cost alternative to fishmeal in fish food
Researchers at the Alfred Wegener Institute and the Technologie-Transfer-Zentrum Bremerhaven have taken a major step forward in their search for an alternative to fishmeal, an expensive and ecologically problematic fish feed ingredient.
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