Research and Logistics
News
News from aboard will be available in the Polarstern app. Below you can download the reports additionally as weekly reports.
PS 150 | 16-24 October 2025
PS 150 | 09-15 October 2025
PS 150 | 2-8 October 2025
FS Polarstern on tour
| 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 | on average approx. 305 |
| Shipyard | Nobiskrug, Rendsburg and Howaldtswerke - Deutsche Werft Kiel AG, Germany |
| Scientists per day / long term sailing | none / 53 |
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:
Meteorological observations
Cruise Reports (data overview)
Sea Ice Portal
Marine Data Portal
(Kopie 11)
News
Investigating unexplored ocean currents to the north of Greenland
The scarcely explored region to the north of Greenland was the area of study in the last of three Arctic expeditions undertaken by the Polarstern since the end of May 2025. In the largely untraveled waters north and northeast of Greenland, a research team led by physical oceanographer Torsten Kanzow of the Alfred Wegener Institute were able to collect unique data on ocean circulation in the area. A chain of six moorings was also deployed to conduct autonomous measurements over the course of a full year.
Important phenomenon discovered in the Arctic
An international study led by the University of Copenhagen and involving the Alfred Wegener Institute has discovered an important phenomenon under the Arctic sea ice that was previously thought to be impossible: So-called non-cyanobacteria can also fix nitrogen under Arctic conditions, which in turn could have an impact on the food web and the carbon budget in the cold north, as the researchers now report in the journal Communications Earth and Environment.
Journey through space and time
On Wednesday, 2 July 2025, the Polarstern will set sail from Tromsø, Norway, embarking on an expedition to the Arctic Ocean. Over the next two months, an international research team will analyse the feedback effects between global warming and sea ice retreat in the Arctic Ocean.