Frohe Weihnachten!

Liebe Familie, Freunde, Zechkumpanen, Tauchers, Rocker, Vorgesetzte, alt Bekannte!
Aus der fernen Antarktis sende ich euch allen herzlichste Grüße und liebe Weihnachtswünsche dahin, wo immer ihr seid. Mir ist klar, dass das vielleicht etwas früh ist, da e-mails in der Regel schneller zugestellt werden als Briefpost, aber ich bin nicht sicher, on ich in den nächsten Tagen zum Schreiben komme.
Nach einem außerordentlich schönen Besuch bei der Forschungsstation "Neumayer II", die von der Polarstern mit Nahrung und Sprit versorgt wurde, hingen wir nun seit zwei Tagen im Packeis fest. Letzte Nacht konnten wir uns befreien und haben den Weg zu unserer zweiten
Toefsee-Station angetreten, bei der wir in wenigen Stunden eintreffen werden. Dann geht es an die Arbeit. Bisher lief die Arbeit mittelprächtig, aber ich bin zuversichtlich. Der Spass- und Überwältigungsfaktor der Expedition war bisher sehr sehr hoch.
Frohe Weihnachten und einen guten Rutsch!
Der Torben

15.12.2007: Visiting Neumayer

Saturday, 15 December 2007: We all got up early to see the Pistenbullys of Neumayer-Station approaching. It was some minutes after 8am, when they arrived to manage all these containers.
All scientists were invited to Neumayer for today and therefore I waited for my helicopter-shuttle to the station. I never went in a helicopter so far and it was a great and thrilling experience. The view on icebergs and the Polarstern from above and also on the big colony of breading emperors was overwhelming. Neumayer Station was build as an under-ice construction and consists basically of two tubes. In these tubes are living- and laboratory containers. During winter eight people live there to keep long time studies in geophysics, air-chemistry and meteorology running. During summer, several more people from different countries live there to do research. They have additional over-ice camps. At the moment, the
"overwinterers" from the last season is still there, while some of the new team already have arrived. Mentally it is a very hard struggle, I think, to live in Antarctica for one year, especially as the winter is so long, cold and lonesome. Because of this we had to keep quiet and not to disturb the privacy of the people there. But we got an insight into people's life in the station and got a guided tour. We also saw, why there is the need for a new station: in some places, the tubes are already heavily deformed because of the heavy load of snow. At the beginning, 15 years ago, the station was close to the surface, but every year 80-100cm of new snow buries the station and it is by now about 10-12 m under the surface.
Outside Neumayer it is very beautiful. Despite of the windmills and antennae coming out of the surface, the glacier seems to be endless and totally flat. The sun was shining and we c ould see Polarstern in the Bay. And there was absolute silence, when you went off for just some hundred
meters.
Later on, when I was already back at the Ship's place, I had a meeting with two Adelie Penguins. I was lying on the ice when they came closer and closer. Finally one of them was even closer than 1.5m when the helicopters arrived and scared away the penguins.

We, of course, also invited the station's people to Polarstern. They came and got some tours through all the facilities and labs of the ship. Today is Judith's birthday. Therefore I will have some fun tonight. It was a really beautiful day!

Landed at the Shelf Ice Edge

Tuesday, 18thDecember 2007: Since we left Atka Bay two days ago, Polarstern tried to find a way to a special spot at the shelf-ice edge. This spot was localized by helicopter and is the only area in reach where there is water reaching the edge. We are here now but it was not easy.
Polarstern followed a track an iceberg had cut through heavy pack ice.
This track was covered by dense "porridge" ice and we had to ram using all four engines. We crossed an iceberg cemetery and the number if icebergs and the various forms were amazing!
Finally we reached the polynia we had looked for and were able to do some station work using the "Rauschert"-Dredge yesterday while waiting for people from Neumayer. Today we landed at the edge and pumping of the fuel to tank containers started.

Antarctic Diary 14.12.2007 Finally: Neumayer

Freitag, 14. Dezember 2007: Seit der ersten Tiefsee-Station hat das Systco-Team fleißig gearbeitet, Tiere aus den außerordentlich schlammigen Sediment gepickt, fotografiert, DNA extrahiert und sich einen ersten Überblick über das Leben an diesem Punkt der Tiefsee verschafft. Das gilt besonders für die EBS- und Dretschen-Sortiererer. Die letzten Tage waren
dominiert vom Kampf der Polarstern gegen das Packeis, welches teilweise locker, teilweise sehr fest gepackt war, sodass das Schiff oft feststeckte und zum Rammen zurücksetzen musste. Wir kamen dem entsprechend nur langsam voran.
Heute um ca. 15Uhr stoppte die Polarstern im Festeis der Atkabucht, nachdem sie sich ca. 500m des Weges in die Bucht gerammt hatte. Hier ist das Eis nicht zerbrochen, zusammen geschoben oder von Eisbergen zerpflügt worden, weshalb die Eisdecke bis auf Schneeverwehungen und Pinguinspuren absolut glatt ist. Von hier aus sind es noch etwa 20km bis zur Neumayer-Station, doch um näher an die Schelfeiskante zu kommen, müsste unverhältnismäßig viel Diesel verdampft werden. Da macht es mehr Sinn, auf dem Meereis zu entladen und die Container mit den Pistenbullys der Station abzuholen. Es wurde eine Brücke zum Eis herabgelassen und wir durften von Bord gehen. Zuvor wurde das Eis vom 1O geprüft und ein sicherer Bereich abgesteckt.
Wir sind natürlich sofort fast alle auf das Eis gegangen und es war komisch. Die letzten Tage ist alles an einem vorbei gezogen, wie in einem Film. Jetzt fühlte es sich einerseits erschreckend normal an, hier zu sein, so, als ob ich nie woanders war. Aber andererseits sind die Eindrücke, die Bilder, die Geräusche und das Wissen, hier zu sein unglaublich überwältigend. Man, ich halte das kaum aus! Vor Begeisterung könnte ich glatt platzen! Es ist schwer, das zu realisieren. Ich sehe
endlose Eiswüsten, riesengroße Tafeleisberge, Kaiserpinguine, die in Kolonnen von der Jagd zu ihren Küken über die flache Ebene rutschen, Adélie-Pinguine, die ständig aufgeregt wirken und sich voller Neugier bis auf weniger als 1 m dem liegenden Menschen nähern, die Polarstern liegt
wie ein schlafender Koloss mitten drin. Und ich bin auf diesem Schiff. Ein
Traum!

Es hat einige Zeit gedauert, bis ich auf die Idee kam, auch mal meine Handschuhe auszuziehen und den Schnee wirklich zu berühren. Das hat im wahrsten Sinne des Wortes geholfen, die Situation zu begreifen. Natürlich haben wir eine ganze Weile auf dem Eis verbracht und Bilder
geknipst, was das Zeug hält. Wir hatten viel Spass und ich fand es besonders lustig, die anderen dabei zu beobachten, wie sie beim Beobachten und Fotografieren genau das gleiche Verhalten an den Tag legten, wie die Pinguine, mich nicht ausgeschlossen. Die Kaiserpinguine wirken so
menschlich, wenn sie aus einen zu rutschen, sich dann mit Hilfe des Schnabels und der Flügel aufrichten und sich umsehen und umher stolzieren, wie steife dicke Männchen mit zu kurzen Beinen.
Wenig später kamen der Doc und der Leiter der Neumayer-Station auf Skidoos an, um uns willkommen zu heißen. Wegen der Versorgung der Station waren zu diesem Zeitpunkt bereits intensive Vorbereitungen im Gange. Das Ausladen sollte bald beginnen. Allerdings ist da noch das Problem der Betankung der Station. Die Diesel-Container können aus Sicherheitsgründen nicht auf dem Meereis betankt werden. Sie sind schlicht zu schwer und das Risiko einer
ökologischen Katastrophe ist zu groß. Wir müssen einen Platz zum Anlegen an der Schelfeiskante, also am Gletscherrand finden. Allerdings ist dieser hier in der Atka-Bucht zu weit weg.

Since the first station the SYSCO-Group has first preliminary results. Especially the people working with the EBS and the dredge continuously sorted the samples. As Angelika, Laura, Lydia and I concentrate on Isopods, we also took pictures of the several hundred specimens and Saskia and I started to do DNA-extractions for molecular phylogeny studies. The last days were dominated by a hard struggle of Polarstern against the dense ice-girdle around the continent. The ship had to stop very often, to retry to break the ice.
Today at about 3pm Polarstern stopped ramming the strong ice cover in Atka Bay. It is still about one hour and 15 minutes to go to Neumayer Station by Skidoo, 8 minutes by helicopter or about 20 kilometres, but ramming is much too expensive. The cargo for the german research-station will be unloaded tomorrow on the sea-ice and the Pistenbullys will come from
Neumayer to carry the cargo-containers.
A stairway was installed and we were allowed to go onto the ice after the Chief-Mate and crewmembers had checked the ice for risks and dangers. We went on the ice and it was great.
We spend quite some time to take pictures and pictures of emperors, of the ship, of each other. It was a try to make this an everlasting moment. We had fun. Jumping around, lying in the snow, enjoying the warm light, the calm but cold wind, and these birds, sliding towards us in curiosity and looking at us the same way we were looking at them. Wonderful!
During our first steps on the ice, the stations chief and the doctor arrived to welcome us. A lot of logistics had already started to unload the ship and bring all the supply to the station. Still during the next days, we will have to look for another place at the shelf-ice edge to unload the fuel for the station, as it is much to dangerous for the environment to unload it on the sea ice.

Antarctic Diary 12.12.2007

Wednesday, 12.12.2007: Finally we come very close to the continent of Antarctica and the ice-cover is almost complete. It is that much light outside, that you can barely have a look out of the window without using sun glasses with high UV-protection, otherwise you would risk "snow
blindness" and sun-blocker to avoid heavy sun-burn within minutes. At the moment we are even stuck in the ice and Polarstern slowly goes backwards to accelerate again and ram the ice. It is still about 200 nautical miles to go to Neumayer-Station. I really look forward to have a walk on the ice and to visit this station, which, during next year, will be deconstructed completely to be substituted by a new one.
I am fine so far. Unfortunately I have a little cold and a throat-ache, but that is nothing. We started lab-work and I am preparing to give a talk in the daily seminar. There are also already ongoing Christmas-preparations but I avoid being involved. I don't like these things too much.

Yesterday Matilda organised a Party in the "Zillertal" in honour of "Lucia", the saint of the blind and the light. This tradition is celebrated in Scandinavian countries every year on the shortest day to welcome the light. Also yesterday, the doctor gave a lecture on secure behaviour in the
Antarctic and in the ice. Really nasty things can happen because of high radiation levels, magnetic storms, extreme changes in weather or e.g. cracks in the ice.

Antarctic Diary 10.12.2007

Monday, 10.12.2007: We've reached the ice!!! Yesterday was marvellous! The first thing I saw, when I looked out of my window, was lots of "Antarctic Petrels" and "Black-browed Albtrosses" accompanying Polarstern. We did not see these species so far and especially the Albatrosses are so beautiful! They were very close to the ship and I took lots of pictures.
Also yesterday the ship's weight-watchers club started. This is a weekly event, which to me seems necessary, as the food on Polarstern is excellent. It must be that good, as food helps to create a good mood for crew and scientists as a contrast to harsh conditions and hard work. For
the weight-watchers you have to bet 0.5€ how your weight will develop during one week and you The money collected will be given to an organisation caring about children suffering from cancer.
During lunchtime we were passing huge icebergs outside with Penguins. It was really amazing: Polarstern was passing by between two quite huge and blue icebergs. And there were hundreds of penguins sitting on these. The icebergs were closer than 500m each and when we were right between them, it was 12:00 and Polarstern's daily horn was blown. This was an incredible
feeling! It is hard to realize where I am and in this moment I really got overwhelmed!
Today we also started to sort our first samples that were now fixed in cool and pure ethanol for 48 hours. Not many animals could be found so far, but there are some in it. Tomorrow we will start extracting DNA. As it is the 2. Advent today, we had some festivities and lots of fun.
After days of storm and waves hitting the ship hard the waves decreased more and more during the evening. Afterwards I went to the gym to run some half an hour and to do some workout, when suddenly I heard ice scratching on the ships hull! We have reached the sea-ice!! It looks so great and I really look forward to see the endless ice -desert tomorrow.
The ice extension is very big now and we expect to have some problems in reaching "Neumayer II" station. There is a big storm approaching and we hope, that it will blow away some of the ice.

Antarctic Diary 08.12.2007

Saturday, 08.12.2007: We solved our first station and are now heading
southward to the German polar research station "Neumayer II". We will
supply the 8 overwinterers with food, fuel and equipment. It is still one
week to go, until we reach the edge of the continental shelf-ice. But we
will reach the sea-ice within the next couple of days.
Until then we will work on our samples from the first station and create
plans for Christmas. It really gets chilly outside even though we are at a
latitude similar to northern germany. We already passed the polar front
and entered the circumpolar current, which isolates Antarctica from the
world's other oceans. Water temperature sank to less than 5°C. Yesterday
there was the first iceberg I saw in my life! It was the first impression
of the ice-desert we will face the next weeks and it was beautiful! Today
I saw even six icebergs, and tried to get good shots of birds like "Sooty
Albatrosses", "Antarctic Prions", "Giant Petrels", "Cape Petrels",
"Southern Fulmars", "Blue Petrels" or "Antarctic Storm-Petrels". So far I
did not see any whales.
Last night my professor Angelika and a ship-mate called Ekki celebrated
their Birthdays in the ship's equipment-store. At the beginning it was a
very strange athmosphere, as there seemed to be still quite an inner
distance between scientists and crew. This wall broke and it became a
fest! There was dancing and loughing and "the ice" between scientists and
crew melted.
The increasing waves and the rum made the dancing a pogo soon and as food
and glasses were flying through the room and it became too dangerous Ekki
made an end.

On the one picture Lydia (right), Saskia (center) and me stand on the
aft-deck of RV Polarstern next to our gear, the epibenthic sledge called
"Meta" and on the other picture you see a Sooty Albatross.

Diary 02.12.2007

Sunday, 02.12.2007: It is Sunday and after some day of building up laboratories and preparing first station, most of the scientists aboard RV "Polarstern" relax a little bit. We all by now became quite used to customs and rules on board.
If you want to know exactly where I am at the moment, visit the webpage http://www.awi-bremerhaven.de and look for the Polarstern. There you can find a cruise plot with our current position.
It is still four to five days to go, maybe more, as we are inside a high pressure system and have to steam against storm and waves. By now, just some groups have started their work. The plankton group has deployed the Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR). This gear is towed behind the ship and needs no additional ship-time, except for the deployment and the heaving.
It will always be used between the stations as long as we are out of ice-covered areas and stays in the water all the time. Depending on speed and cable length, the depth to sample at can be adjusted. This gear was used since many years worldwide and catches zooplankton. It gives an
overview on species composition, abundance and distribution. On the "Peildeck" the Top- Predator-Group counts birds and whales. Unless the storm is too strong they stay there outside from dawn till dusk. Every day! This group also uses a towed gear, the „Surface and Under ice Trawl" (SUIT) which can also be used in ice-covered areas and consists of a very
impressing steel frame with car-wheels to roll underneath the ice and heavy weights. They try to investigate Top-Predators and their food from the surface of the water column.
Once we reach the first deep station, the ship will stay approximately at the same coordinates until all the work is done. During the stations a lot of different instruments will be deployed. There is gear that will just be lowered down to the deep-sea floor for example to measure physical parameters like currents, oxygen-content, CO2-content, salinity and temperature, but also to get water samples from different depths, or graps and corers to sample the sediment. We also have a Free-Fall-Lander and a Bait-Trap on board. Both throw off weights triggered by acoustical signals and float back to the surface. With the lander, e.g. oxygen-gradients can be measured in the bottom-surface layer. The traps are used to catch scavengers. When all this gear is done, trawled gear, like our EBS for benthic organisms or the "Rectangular Midwater Trawl" (RMT) for pelagic organisms like Krill is deployed. All together a station may last more than 36 hours.

Diary 28.11.2007

Mittwoch, 28.11.2007: Es ist wahr geworden. Irgendwie hatte ich mich nie
gewagt, davon auch nur zu träumen, aber nun bin ich auf der
FS-Polarstern!! Am 28.11. um 20 Uhr sind wir pünktlich in Kapstadt
abgelegt.
Da das Schiff wird genutzt ist mit Wissenschaftlern, Hubschrauber-Crew und
Wetterfröschen vom Deutschen Wetterdienst. Ich muss ich mit der
Isolierstation des Bordhospitals Vorlieb nehmen. Ich teile das Zimmer mit
zwei netten Kerlen in meinem Alter, Falk und Jens. Beide machen ganz was
anderes als ich, aber wir verstehen uns sehr gut. Gleich beim Auslaufen
hatten wir Windstärke 7. Das ist nicht sehr viel, gerade bei der Größe
dieses Dampfers, aber für den Anfang war das schon ganz ordentlich, sodass
ich die erste Nacht nicht besonders gut schlafen konnte.
Diese Fahrt bedient unter anderem das SYSTCO-Projekt, welches das
ehrgeizige Ziel verfolgt, Fachgebiete übergreifend Zusammenhänge zwischen
den Verschiedenen Lebensräumen von der Wasseroberfläche (oder sogar
darüber) bis zum Meeresboden zu finden. Besonders geht es darum, wo der
vom Phytoplankton gebildete organische Kohlenstoff durch das Nahrungsnetz
fließt.
Meine Aufgabe im Speziellen liegt im Probensortieren und heraussuchen von
Isopoden, mit denen ich in meiner Diplomarbeit arbeiten möchte und
Bivalven und Scaphopoden für eine Dame aus England. Ich arbeite
hauptsächlich mit dem EBS (Epibenthos-Schlitten). Das ist ein Gerät, mit
dem man den ersten Meter über dem Meeresboden in so gut wie jeder Tiefe
beproben kann und vor allem Tiere zwischen 0,5 und 10mm fangen kann.

Wednesday, 28.11.2007: It became true. Even though I never believed in
that, I am now a participant in a Polarstern-Cruise! Today we left Cape
Town in time and were at once confronted with harsh weather. 7 Bft. is not
that much, especially as we are on a huge ship, but it was enough to
disturb my sleep quite a lot.
A significant project of this cruise is allocated to SYSTCO- (System
Coupling in the Deep Antarctic Ocean). Its aim is, to simplify it a bit,
to find out about where organic carbon and other nutrients go, whom eats
whom and how different habitats from the surface of the ocean down to the
fauna living in the deep-sea's sediment are connected to each other.
I am on board to help sorting samples, especially from the Epibenthic
Sledge (EBS). This gear can be towed in almost every depth and catches
small macrofauna basically consisting of crustacean, polychaetes, molluscs
and more. I am also here to pick out Bivalves for a professor from the
British Antarctic Survey and to pick out isopods for Laura's PhD-studies
and my Diploma-thesis.

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The picture with me on it, sorting in the lab, was taken by Nils Brenke,
the picture of the sea-ice was taken by Jens Edinger and the "Penguins on
the iceberg" picture was taken by me.
Tschöö.. Torben

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This picture shows Nils and me...
Cheers.. Torben