Archive of News and Press Releases
Beginning the return voyage
The last cruise section of this year’s Antarctic season for Polarstern started on 10 April 2016 in Punta Arenas and will end on 12 May in Bremerhaven. Until Las Palmas, we have 14 scientists on board who are mainly studying the atmosphere above the ship. Another group takes care of the transport of king crabs. In Las Palmas 25 additional people will board our vessel for an echosound training course.
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The Expedition PS98 from Punta Arenas to Bremerhaven
The transfer cruise PS98 from Punta Arenas to Bremerhaven ends the 2015/16 summer season of Antarctic research.
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Towards the Strait of Magellan
For both crew and scientists the last week of our Polarstern expedition PS97 required everyone to dig deep. A varied geological, geophysical and oceanographic work program was accompanied, or shall we say interrupted, by two major storms.
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Six to ten million years ago: Ice-free summers at the North Pole
An international team of scientists led by the Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) have managed to open a new window into the climate history of the Arctic Ocean. Using unique sediment samples from the Lomonosov Ridge, the researchers found that six to ten million years ago the central Arctic was completely ice-free during summer and sea-surface temperature reached values of 4 to 9 degrees Celsius. In spring, autumn and winter, however, the ocean was covered by sea ice of variable extent, the scientists explain…
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Back at the Chilean Continental Margin
After a successful second traverse of the Drake Passage for both the biological and geological work groups we once again approach coastal waters.
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The Drake Passage – Second Traverse
During the fifth week of our Polarstern expedition PS97 we left the Antarctic Peninsula area close to Elephant Island to start our second Drake Passage traverse toward South America.
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“Science Thrives in Open-minded Environments”
There is no place in Potsdam for hostility towards foreigners and those seeking refuge, argue the heads of educational and research institutes in Potsdam in an open letter published on 16 March 2016 in the Märkischen Allgemeinen, the Potsdamer Neuesten Nachrichten and other newspapers.
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Alfred Wegener Institute on Oceanology International
The Alfred Wegener Institute participates in the Oceanology International, one of the world's leading marine science and ocean technology exhibition and conference. It is held in London every two years and takes place in London from 15 to 17 March 2016.
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Sub-Antarctic Islands
The fourth week of our Polarstern expedition PS97 was entirely devoted to work on and surrounding the Sub-Antarctic Islands. For many of us this week will remain firmly engrained in our memories for the incredible views of landscape, icebergs and sea life.
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A glance into the future of the Arctic
Throughout the Arctic, ice wedges are thawing at a rapid pace. Changes to these structures, which are very common in permafrost landscapes, have a massive impact on the hydrology of the tundra. This is the result of a study carried out by an international research team in cooperation with the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI), which will be published in the journal Nature Geoscience today.
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