The well-known saying “weather happens all the time and everywhere” is valid also on board Polarstern. While the scientists had a break during the last few days which were devoted to the supply of Neumayer station, it was business as usual for me as the shipboard meteorologist.
The weather station on board is always running normally, regardless whether the task is transit, science work on station or supply. Our responsibilities include weather observations and radio sonde surveys (with weather balloons) as well as forecast and advice. Especially in a region like the Antarctic, weather plays a key role in both scientific work and logistic tasks.
The shipboard weather station works very much like a weather service on land. Surveys are the base of all forecasts. There is a complete weather station on Polarstern, which measures standard parameters such as temperature, wind, humidity and barometric pressure. Satellite images are received with a dedicated antenna. In addition, we get weather survey data from nearby research stations, ships and buoys for analysis, but there are only a few. With all these data I get a good idea of the actual weather situation, and the development of the next few hours can be estimated. To make a forecast for the next three days, we rely on numeric models.
A great variety of scientific gear is run off Polarstern, and most can not be deployed in heavy seas or a lot of ice. Therefore the weather forecasts –including sea state and ice conditions) are an integral part of the daily planning of station work. Forecasts of wind and sea state help the bridge with planning the cruise track. For example, the strongest winds and the resulting waves of a passing storm system could be avoided by prolonging the time spent at the first station. Our two helicopter pilots receive special flying weather advice before each flight. In the following hours, relevant measures such as sight, ceiling, potential risk of overicing, and turbulences are forecast.
The shipboard weather service also has a long-term component. The ship has been up and running for 25 years now, resulting in a respectably long time series of meteorological measurements. These data help with analyses concerning possible changes of the climate in rather poorly documented areas.
And so my colleague Hartmut Sonnabend and I stand here in the shipboard weather station early every morning, no matter what happens to take place that moment- scientific work, logistics or just transit. For “weather takes place all the time and everywhere!”
Eugen Müller, DWD
Photos: Torben Riehl, University of Hamburg, Brigitte Ebbe, Senckenberg