By Dominik Nachtsheim It has been a long way, but we made it: On 20th December Polarstern successfully approached the shelf ice edge despite heavy ice conditions in the Atka Bay. The unloading of cargo and fuel for Neumayer-Station III and the Kohnen Station started immediately. The whole process ... [Read more]
By Yasemin Bodur On the 12th of December, around the 55. Latitude, the first signs of the Antarctic continent are passing our port holes. The sky has already merged with the fog to a greyish substance and the horizon disappeared behind it. In the beginning the ice floes are hard to distinguish ... [Read more]
By Henrik Christiansen | On sixth of December, research icebreaker “Polarstern” began its journey from Cape Town towards Antarctica for the now 30th time. Besides resupplying the German Antarctic station Neumayer III a large multidisciplinary science program is scheduled. The ship is ... [Read more]
By Ngozi Oguguah & Edem Mahu | As we approach Cape Town, South Africa, we take the opportunity to reflect on the journey so far from Bremerhaven, Germany. Seven out of the 32 student scientists participating in the 2015 North-South Atlantic Floating Summer School aboard FS Polarstern are ... [Read more]
By Dr Pauhla McGrane & Prof Karen Wiltshire | Life on-board the RV Polarstern continues to revolve around the daily ocean sampling, data crunching and mealtime routines as we continue to transit south on our Floating University. We passed the 20° South parallel and are steering a ... [Read more]
By Karin Lochte and Karen Wiltshire| Being at Sea as a scientist on the RV Polarstern is a kind of surreal experience - one works all hours. Night becomes day and day becomes night. The ocean is the horizon and time is ship time. The crew is expert in helping in all situations and makes suggestions ... [Read more]
By Annette Wilson & Minna Hovi | Greetings from the RV Polarstern! As we approach the equator, obvious changes in the ocean colour can be seen from the deck and through remote sensing satellites. We have also seen changes on a smaller scale through the microscope in the phytoplankton species ... [Read more]
By Karen Wiltshire & Pauhla McGrane | The Ocean out here, in this “corner” of the Atlantic at 21° 58 N 21°33 W, is of a clear deep blue at the surface. For days now we have been sampling with a Rosette of Niskin Bottles with sensors of the CTD including temperature, salinity and ... [Read more]
By Birgit Heim | Seamounts are isolated submarine topographic elevations in the open ocean. They often originate from submarine volcanism, created over so-called hotspots in the upper mantle of the earth or along the mid-ocean spreading ridges. However, little is known about these seamounts and ... [Read more]
By the students from the Floating Summer School | Ahoy from Polarstern! We have finished our work in the Baye of Biskaye and around the Ampere Seamount. The weather conditions have been surprisingly good and we are beginning to get our sea legs. Life is buzzing on board, not only in the ... [Read more]
