Archive of News and Press Releases
Satellite check: Polar aircraft from the AWI begins an expedition to the Arctic
Within the framework of the expedition ‘CryoVex 2004’ the aircraft ‘Polar 4’, operated by the Foundation Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research (AWI), is on a 3 week Arctic trip to conduct ice surveys. The measurements are to be used in preparation for a mission by the European space satellite ‘CryoSat’ which will survey the polar ice caps and sea ice beginning November 2004. The satellite is to determine whether ice recedes or increases in response to global climate change.
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Iron fertilisation of the ocean raises the food supply of marine animals and transports carbon dioxide to the deep ocean
An international team of scientists that recently carried out an experiment in the South Atlantic on board RV „Polarstern“ of the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research has found that an algal bloom induced by iron fertilisation transported carbon dioxide to the deep ocean. The bloom also stimulated growth of zooplankton grazers such as copepods and krill that form the basis of food chains leading to fish stocks of commercial importance such as sardine and herring but also whales.
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One of the largest diatom databases is now online
Researchers can now access one of the largest diatom databases on the Internet. With a current size of approximately 300,000 preserved samples and 80,000 microscope slide preparations, the collection is invaluable for science. Diatoms are unicellular photosynthetic organisms that occur both in marine and in freshwater environments. They are an important part of the food chain, and represent useful indicators for ecological and climatic change. Their unique feature is a cell wall constructed of silica organized in a characteristic structure. Diatoms are…
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Sinking greenhouse gas into the Ocean
"Polarstern” begins new iron fertilization experiment
On January 21, 2004, the "Polarstern", research vessel of the Alfred-Wegener-Institute of Polar and Marine Research, will leave Cape Town for the third stage of the 21st expedition to Antarctica. Forty-nine scientists from nine countries will be aboard to investigate the effects of fertilizing the Southern Ocean on the carbon exchange between air and sea surface. Carbon in the form of carbon dioxide acts as a greenhouse gas, and plays a major role in global climate warming.
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Dallmann Laboratory celebrates 10th anniversary of international cooperative work in Antarctica
Ten years Dallmann Laboratory
On January 19, 2004, the Dallmann Laboratory on King George Island in Antarctica will celebrate its 10th anniversary. Biologists and geoscientists from the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) use this laboratory, which is located on a shallow bay, for investigations of ice-free areas and nearshore shallow waters. This is only possible in few Antarctic localities since most of the coast is covered with thick shelf-ice or glaciers.
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2000 meters deep in Antarctic ice
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.
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Polarstern examines re-colonization of the seafloor in Antarctica
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.
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Christmas Greetings from Koldewey Station
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.
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Antarctic researchers meet in Bremen
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…
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Reports from Kohnen Station 2003/2004
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.
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