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

northwards into the large ocean basins, such as the Atlantic. This Antarctic bottom water drives deep-sea currents all over the world and circulates water masses to transport oxygen far down into the depths

ice-covered Fram Strait between Greenland and Svalbard, which they call their HAUSGARTEN. The deep-sea observatory is the first, and still the only one of its kind for year-round physical, chemical and

the following paragraphs, the team from the first leg of the journey, which was dominated by thin sea ice, review the mission so far: despite extremely challenging conditions, they maintained a steady

MOSAiC
For days, fast sea ice had slowed the progress of the resupply icebreaker Kapitan Dranitsyn; bound for the North Pole, her mission was to support the second exchange of researchers and crew in

The deep branch of the North Atlantic THC mainly consists of deep-water formed by atmospheric cooling in the Nordic Seas, which overflows the Greenland-Scotland Ridge into the North Atlantic. The Eirik Drift [...] to the poles. The major formation regions of deep and bottom water are the Nordic Seas, the Weddell and the Ross Seas. The Eirik Drift south of Greenland and the Argentine continental margin (red circles) [...] closely downstream of the North Atlantic deep-water formation region and has been shaped by the Western Boundary Undercurrent (WBUC), which constitutes the main part of the deep North Atlantic THC. The sedimentary

in the Wadden Sea The Wadden Sea is currently changing faster than it has in millennia. There are already various introduced species of flora and fauna that were never seen in the North Sea 100 years ago [...] detected on the North Sea coast to date and have now permanently established themselves there. 1 or 2 species Every year 1 or 2 newly introduced species are discovered on the North Sea coast. 16 sampling [...] the German North Sea and Baltic Sea coasts, 16 sampling stations are used to analyze biotic communities and record new species on an annual basis. FAQ How do new species reach the Wadden Sea? What non-native

Wadden Sea Station on Sylt is pursuing answers to what is likely the most important question concerning the fragile ecosystem at its doorstep: how will climate change affect the Wadden Sea and North Sea in [...] Exactly 100 years ago, Germany’s northernmost research facilities on the North Sea island Sylt were opened. What began as a small field outpost for oyster research in 1924 would evolve into a modern, fully

Wadden Sea Long-term Ecological Research (LTER) It is getting warmer, sea levels are rising and the Wadden Sea ecosystems are changing rapidly (Figure 1). At the Wadden Sea station of Sylt we have one [...] other parts of the North Sea. We also envisage extending this observational power by remote sensing or other optical methods that will allow a higher spatial coverage of the North Sea. We strive to sample [...] other parts of the North Sea. We also envisage extending this observational power by remote sensing or other optical methods that will allow a higher spatial coverage of the North Sea. We aim to integrate

and the Nordic Seas The Arctic Ocean and the Nordic Seas are integral parts of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation, and hence key regions for the global climate. The perennial sea ice cover makes [...] glacier which is the main outlet glacier onto the shelf east of Greenland. The Shelf Seas The Shelf Seas Shallow shelf seas occupy ~40% of the Arctic Ocean’s area. The shelves’ current systems convey the [...] shape the circulation and water masses of both the Arctic Ocean and the Nordic Seas, which form the Arctic Mediterranean north of the Greenland Scotland Ridge. The reduction of the Arctic ice cover in the