Research Vessel Embarks on 27th Arctic Expedition

Forty-four expedition participants are on board the research vessel Polarstern in an effort to study an area between Spitsbergen and Greenland. Researchers are from institutions in the US, Germany, Belgium and the UK. Long term oceanographic measurements will be taken during the expedition before traveling to AWI Hausgarten for a two-week biological focus. The largest area of study will be in Fram Strait, the only deep-sea water connection between the Atlantic and Arctic Ocean. Important measurements regarding how much water is exchanged between these two seas and what salt transport and heat is associated with this process are important pieces in understanding the complex correlations between the Arctic’s atmosphere, ocean, and sea ice. Several parameters including salinity, temperature and oxygen will be studied with sensors. The Polar Regions play an important role in global ocean circulation, which has a direct influence on global climate. Sensors are attached at defined water depths, which record data throughout the entire year. Variations throughout the seasons can also be recorded accurately in this way and be considered in the overall analysis. This work is embedded in an international observation network. Sea gliders supplement the measurements; these are free floating vehicles, which determine their course in open water via satellites and are orientated by acoustic signals in the case of ice cover. In October the Polarstern will return to Bremerhaven to prepare for an Antarctic expedition. The ship will spend one and a half years in the Southern most latitudes, where it will mark its fourth voyage in the Antarctic. The research icebreaker will also be celebrating the 30 anniversary of it’s commissioning.