By Stefan Hendricks and Mario Hoppmann | It. Does. Not. Stop. Polarstern continuously moves and shakes in the swell of the Barents Sea. Usually a cause for seasickness, the movements and the vibrations now cause pain for photographers onboard. Because on our way to the Norwegian coastline we … [Read more...]
By Ole Valk | The in-situ-pumps (ISP) are a very important scientific instrument on this expedition for the GEOTRACES-Team. These pumps are deployed on a rope and then they are going to the deep, distributed over several depths. There they pump for 2.5 hours sea water, which is going through … [Read more...]
By Sandra Gdaniec | A couple of days ago we found something we have been waiting for and hoping to find during this expedition, namely ice rafted sediment, or as we like to call it, “dirty ice”. The ice is dirty because sediment and/or suspended particles from rivers have been incorporated … [Read more...]
By Christiane Uhlig | After more than four weeks on TransArc II and getting used to the long and sometimes spontaneous working days, everybody on board has found his or her special leisure time occupation. Some use the time to relax with their favourite book, a Sudoku game or a simple lunchtime … [Read more...]
By Ursula Schauer | On September 7, 2015 Polarstern reached the geographic North Pole. Already from some distance we recognized the outline of another ship: the US Coast Guard Cutter Healy. The officer on duty, Igor Hering, was steering the ship through the dense ice cover while it slowly … [Read more...]
By Erika Allhusen, Robert Ricker, Hazel Hartman-Jenkins, Andreas Krell, Gerhard Diekmann, Ellen Damm | As Miss Smilla searched snow and ice for clues to solve an arctic crime; similarly, we search the arctic icepack to for answers to a variety of scientific questions. How is biomass … [Read more...]
By Núria Casacuberta Arola and Viena Puigcorbé Lacueva | It is now more than 10 days since we left Tromsø, and during this time Polarstern became the city that never sleeps. Let’s imagine a small New York City sailing through the ice towards the North Pole. For example, the corridor that … [Read more...]
By Franz Schroeter | We are currently in the “marginal ice zone”: the zone right in front of the thick multi-year-ice. Since we reached the sea ice on August 21st, 2015, we have been moving slower. At first, only ice floes drifted by. Soon, however, we approached a white front ahead. We were … [Read more...]
From Mario Hoppmann und Hendrik Hampe | As soon as the countless containers are un-stowed and the first instruments have been prepared the scientists are ready to start with their main task: the investigation of the atmosphere, ocean, and sea ice in the Arctic Ocean. Since it usually takes a … [Read more...]
By Justin, Stefan and Ursula | TransArc II *) - this means for us - 55 scientists and 43 crew members – for the coming two months an expedition right across the Arctic Ocean with the German research ice breaker Polarstern. We want to track the climate change, which is so very prominent in the … [Read more...]
