By Carla Espinosa and Abigal Cronin | Hola and Dia duit! Our names are Carla and Abi, and we are currently participants on the North South Atlantic Training Transect. We are on board RV Polarstern together with many other researchers, and we took the opportunity to talk to Eva Garcia Vazquez from ...[Read more]
Mission accomplished, but with mixed feelings
By Rita Melo Franco Santos | Polarstern is currently located in the vicinity of the 79oN Glacier, an area of high scientific interest especially for the geologists and physical oceanographers, as the region holds answers to many unanswered questions our researchers have in mind about the geological ...[Read more]
Arctic Dramatica
By Keith Soal | It is a wonderful and mysterious part of the ocean in which we sail. An area which has captivated the imaginations of explorers and scientists for many decades. We could not have chosen a more majestic vessel for this adventure to the north. The German research vessel Polarstern has ...[Read more]
Ice Ahoy
By Natalie Prinz | In the name of the ’G.R.I.F.F.’ Project we have already been on our way on the expedition PS100 for three weeks, circling the Fram Strait between Spitsbergen and Greenland. We encountered the first sea ice in the second week and with the ice, many challenges, but also many ...[Read more]
A deep insight into the subsurface
By Henrik Grob and Sjard Stratmann | Finally! After 6 ½ weeks of waiting it was time for marine seismics. The aim of the seismics on board were pre-site investigations for an IODP (International Ocean Discovery Program) proposal . But what if anything is seimics? Seismics enable us to get a ...[Read more]
NoSoAT – the African Story
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]
Sensing the Oceans: Oceanographic Phenomena along the North South Atlantic Transect (NoSoAT)
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]
A voyage of plankton discovery
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]
Sampling the Deep Blue….
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]
An Arctic deep sea volcano
By Joshua Kiesel and Franz Schroeter | We have successfully finished the transit from the 30 to 60 degrees of longitude and are now on the Gakkel Ridge, the doorstep of the North Pole. The Gakkel Ridge was named, in the 1960s, for a Soviet scientist. In 2001 the research vessels Polarstern ...[Read more]