News
PS118 - Weekly Report No. 1 | 9. - 17. February 2019
A bumpy start
We are still in Punta Arenas at the pier in Cabo Negro to take on fuel. Later, we need to take on kerosene for the helicopters and finish last cargo operations. If everything works according to plan, we should hopefully be on our way to Antarctica on Monday morning. However, all in good order …
PS117 - Weekly Report No. 6 | 28 January - 03 February 2019.
Good-bye Antarctica
The scientific party and crew are facing their final big challenge: a four day long dense sequence of CTDs, Ultra Clean CTDs (Fig. 1) as well as mooring recoveries and deployments.
Antarctica
Scientific expedition heads to newly exposed Antarctic ecosystem
An international team of scientists heads to Antarctica this week to investigate a mysterious marine ecosystem that’s been hidden beneath an Antarctic ice shelf for up to 120,000 years.
Blog
Polarstern blog
Measuring ice and snow thickness : Poke it with a stick
By Damien Ringeisen | (Last blogpost from PS115.2 expedition to the Arctic after Polarstern’s arrival in Bremerhaven) Is there a more iconic picture than a polar bear stranded on a piece of ice to illustrate climate change? As everybody surely knows, the artic sea ice is melting away. Recent studies show that an ice-free summer in […]
Author: Polarstern Fahrtleiter
Polarstern blog
Some words about geology and the Polarstern…
By Myriam Caron | 81°N 128°E. As an ArcTrain PhD Student studying geology in the polar regions, it is with great excitement that I came on board the R/V Polarstern, with the Arctic Ocean as a destination. After several years spent studying the Arctic, what a joy to finally be able to go there! The first […]
Author: Polarstern Fahrtleiter
Polarstern blog
A visit to the crow’s nest
By Charles Bruntte | 82N, 143E. We wake up to a radiant Sun and a calm sea. This is a very pleasant surprise after a few days of high waves that challenged everyone’s tolerance to motion sickness. Today the wind is low and the air is not too cold. Samira and I take this opportunity […]
Author: Polarstern Fahrtleiter
Where is polarstern?
Figures and facts
| Port of registry | Bremerhaven |
|---|---|
| Length | 118 metres |
| Width | 25 metres |
| Max. draught | 11.20 metres |
| Max. displacement | 17,277 tons |
| Empty weight | 12,012 tons |
| Commissioning AWI | 1982 |
| Engine | 4 x KHD RBV 8M540 |
| Engine power | 19,198 PS (four engines) |
| Range | 19,000 nautical miles / 80 days |
| Max. speed | 16 knots |
| Operation area | Everywhere including pack ice zone |
| Crew | 44 |
| Days on sea per year (2013) | 310 |
| Shipyard | Nobiskrug, Rendsburg and Howaldswerke - Deutsche Werft Kiel AG, Germany |
| Scientists per day / long term sailing | none / 53 |
More Information
Polarstern is not only a research vessel but also a gigantic measuring instrument. Data are constantly collected aboard, some of them are also sent consecutively to different receivers. Further information about Polarstern can be found on the following pages:
AWI
Cruise Reports (data overview)
Extern