There is always something happening on the work deck; trip leader Hans-W. Hubberten of the Alfred Wegener Institute Potsdam and Captain Schwarze are continuously planning the Polarstern's course and the next stopping point. One tool for doing research is the ship's helicopter. For Australian geologist Duanne White and Swiss Minerologist Roland Oberhänsli (from the University of Potsdam), it is their first helicopter trip in the region. They head towards the southeast, in the direction of Casey Bay to the Rayner Glacier in Enderby Land. The researchers have maps with specific locations they would like to investigate and take samples from. The aim of the research is to investigate the retreating ice in this region, and the speed and impact it has had on climate change in th...

The course of the Polarstern has led the participants of the Alfred Wegener Institutes research expedition ANT-XXIII/9 from the Neumayer station further towards an easterly direction. Calm seas and mild winds resulted in a comfortable journey. The last days have been a continuous oscillation between deep blue waters and a sea of white, both with their own special characteristics. On the open sea, we are already seeing many more whales, sometimes we see whole pods on their journeys. They don't seem to be disturbed by the presence of the large blue research ship, and just continue to follow their own internal navigation systems. Sometimes, you can just see their backs with their fins poking out of the water, impressive sea mammals from the deep sea, coming to the surface and...

The German research vessel Polarstern, on the Alfred Wegener Institute's ANTXXIII/9 expedition, arrived at the edge of the ice shelf near the Neumayer station on February 12, 2007. It used the two days of good weather to remove waste and re-supply the research station. The fuel tanks were filled and food supplies were unloaded. The rubbish that could not be disposed of onsite needed to be loaded onto the Polarstern and taken away from the Antarctic. During this time the researchers on board were able to take a look at the working environment of their colleagues on the ice. It was an opportunity to learn more about the different research projects carried out at the station. During the summer, the Antarctic station offers living and working quarters to researchers from around...

Gone fishing? IPY flying high at midnight on 1 January 2007 at SANAE IV, the South African research base on Vesleskarvet in Dronning Maud Land Antarctica (71

Here is a selection of short video clips taken on board of RV Polarstern on its actual expedition to East Antarctica. The video material is kindly made available by the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research. They are in .flv format and can be viewed using VLC software. AW...

Mabel's recovery from the ocean floor off Antarctica. [Update 2007-02-20: The recovery attempt was not successful, reports Polarstern. Mabel will stay on the ocean floor for another year.] The joint German-Italian project "Mabel" (Multidisciplinary Antarctic BEntic Laboratory) is the first scientific project to be conducted during the current Antarctic Polarstern Expedition ANT-XXIII/9. Mabel is...

For 61 weeks thousands of people around the world will follow, on a daily basis via the internet, the exciting voyage of the three-masted sailing ship SEDNA as she travels to Antarctica.

After a short period in the harbor of Punta Arenas, the German research icebreaker Polarstern will start for its next Antarctic Expedition. More than 40 scientists, students and technicians will be working on board until the middle of April. The two days stay in Punta Arenas were used to get all preparations done for the upcoming 12 weeks on sea. Containers were put on board or taken off, provisions were topped up and the fuel tanks were filled with 2,800 tonnes of diesel at the bunker pier "Cabo Negro" — rnough to keep the "Polarstern" running for 12 weeks and more. On February 1st all scientists and technicians finally arrived in Punta Arenas, and all were on board Polarstern by the next day. Passports were checked and collected by the first mate S...

For the participants of the Polarstern ANTXXIII/8 Antarctic Expedition, Punta Arenas means the end of an exciting journey through the everlasting ice. However, for the scientists, explorers and technicians of the upcoming Polarstern ANTXXIII/9 Expedition, this place stands for the beginning of their travel in the very eastern part of Antarctica — a place Polarstern has never been before and which only few scientists have ever put foot on. In addition to the various scientific programs, the ship and its crew will supply the German scientific station Neumayer, and a huge measuring program will be undertaken, in cooperation with the Russian Research Icebreaker Akademik Alexander Karpinsky. ...

STELLA ANTARCTICA is a 9-nation IPY project to investigate the feasibility of establishing an observatory at Dome C in Antarctica – potentially the best astronomical site in the world. The team will conduct several small-scale astronomical experiments at Dome C, as well as holding international discussions that could pave the way for an ambitious, multi-million Euro observatory at Dome C.