News
PS106/2 - Weekly Report No. 9 | 16 - 23 July 2017
Week 9: Fish!
As soon as we reached the more open marginal sea ice zone in the Barents Sea east of Svalbard, we could finally start fishing with the bottom trawl. Most parts of our area of investigation had a closed pack-ice cover reaching far south onto the Svalbard and Barents Sea shelves.
PS106/2 - Weekly Report No. 8 | 09 - 16 July 2017
Week 8: Returning to Svalbard
After concluding our 4th ice station at the northernmost location of this expedition, Polarstern set a south-westerly course, heading for the position of our well-known PASCAL ice floe of PS 106/1. This time, many open leads allowed a mostly gentle passage through the ice.
PS106/2 - Weekly Report No. 7 | 2 - 9 July 2017
Week 7: In the deep Arctic Ocean
During our northward transect, Polarstern bit its way through heavy sea ice, hard as concrete and covered with a thick layer of snow. This altogether slowed down our progress into the north significantly. During our journey in the thick ice across the deepening Arctic Ocean, wildlife became scarcer and scarcer. Patches of Melosira arctica were only spotted rarely.
Blog
Polarstern blog
Flying above and diving below sea ice
By Benjamin Lange | Arctic sea ice thickness and extent have undergone significant changes over the past ~30 years. The observed changes are actually much greater than predicted by even the best global climate models for the Arctic Ocean. In addition, sea ice thickness and volume are key indicators of climate change in comparison to […]
Author: Polarstern Fahrtleiter
Polarstern blog
Whalewatching
By Ulrich Küster | Being a northern Germany native, the term “Beluga” was mostly associated with the large Airbus transport planes that would pass over my parents’ garden on their approach to the Airbus facility in Finkenwerder, Hamburg. Unbelievably large airplanes, with whom I had trouble wrapping my mind around how something so large could […]
Author: Polarstern Fahrtleiter
Polarstern blog
SiPCA expedition on its way
By Fokje Schaafsma | On Friday the 23th of June, RV Polarstern left Svalbard for the SiPCA expedition to the Arctic Ocean. SiPCA stands for Survival of Polar cod in the Arctic Ocean. The main aim of the expedition is to learn more about the life of Polar cod, which is a species that is […]
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