News
PS109 - Weekly Report No. 1 | 12 - 17 September 2017
The expedition GRISO - “Greenland ice sheet/ocean interaction”
Am Nachmittag des 12. September verließ der Forschungseisbrecher Polarstern den Hafen von Tromsø. Mit an Bord sind Wissenschaftlerinnen und Wissenschaftler aus sieben Nationen, die das Spektrum von Physikalischer Ozeanographie, Geochemie, Glaziologie, Geodäsie, Geologie, Geophysik, Atmosphärenphysik- und Chemie sowie Biologie und Biogeochemie abdecken. Auf der Expedition “Greenland ice sheet/ocean interaction” (GRISO) sollen die komplexen physikalischen Wechselwirkungen zwischen dem Ozean und dem Eisschild in Nordostgrönland sowie deren Auswirkungen auf das marine Ökosystem erforscht werden.
PS108 - Weekly Report No. 2 | 29 August - 6 September 2017
New technical possibilities in the deep sea
The second week of our expedition was in focus of the in ROBEX new developed robotic systems.
PS108 - Weekly Report No. 1. | 22 - 28 August 2017
Expedition „ROBEX-DM“
On Tuesday August 22 at 19:00 POLARSTERN left Tromsö with an unusual freight on board into direction of Svalbard. Unusual, because 10 of the 40 scientists on board are space experts and special are also the new and innovative robotic systems, which should improve our capabilities in deep-sea research. The new technologies include 3 different types of benthic crawler, each designed for its specific scientific purpose on the bottom of the sea, a glider for water column studies, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to support AUV operations under sea ice and an underwater mass-spectrometer.
Blog
Polarstern blog
Stormy Transit from Norway to Greenland
Andreas Muenchow, University of Delaware, USA | A storm closed the deck of R/V Polarstern on our first day at sea. Within hours of leaving port in Tromso, Norway, with its sheltered fjords, mountains, and rocks, we entered the open Barents Sea where winds and waves hit us hard. Water splashed onto the teak deck […]
Author: Polarstern Fahrtleiter
Polarstern blog
All aboard! The RV Polarstern has set sail for North-East Greenland
By Richard Jones, Durham University | Huddled at the waterfront of Tromso, Arctic Norway, I joined a large group of fellow scientists for my first scientific cruise – actually, the first time on any form of boat for longer than a day – so 5 weeks at sea seemed daunting. I was both excited and anxious, […]
Author: Polarstern Fahrtleiter
Polarstern blog
Coming back
By Rafael Lazo Perez | The glaciers of Spitzbergen say goodbye to us while we departure slowly from this magnificent archipelago. The waves splash around the ship and make wet the deck, where we are having our final BBQ. A familiar feeling floats in the atmosphere. After four weeks of hard work it is time […]
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