Category: Blog and vlog
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Back on land and the end of our voyage
After spending nearly 11 weeks at sea, it’s finally the end of our incredible Voyage. On March, 6th 2023 we finally set back foot on land in Punta Arenas (Chile). This was first by having some really nice sailing through the Strait of Magellan, where we were all mesmerized by seeing again so much land, vegetations,…
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Time to return home
After spending a second Christmas in Antarctic sea ice, the early explorers on board the RV Belgica realized they wouldn’t escape their icy prison without a fight. In addition, a second overwintering wasn’t an option as food rations were running out. For a long time, the Belgica’s men thought they would melt out by the…
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Seismic profiling in the Bellingshausen Sea
When the RV Belgica got stuck in sea ice over a century ago, her crew could not possibly know that a morphological structure would be named after the vessel in the region in which the ship was trapped. Even more surprising, that the area would be almost completely free of sea ice 125 years later.…
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The PS134 marine geology team
In this vlog episode, the various members of the marine geology team on board the PS134 RV Polarstern expedition explain which research activities they perform, and to what purpose. In a chronological order, you will meet Matthias Troch (UGent, Belgium), Dr. James Kirkham (BAS, UK), Lena Cardinahl (UBremen, Germany), Rosemary Burkhalter-Castro (University of South Florida,…
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Madhouse Promenade
125 years ago, life onboard the RV Belgica was not simple. Especially during the polar night of 1898, when the Belgica was frozen solid in Antarctic sea ice from March 5th 1898 until March 14th 1899. The perpetual darkness and cold monotony of the polar night depressed the expedition members physically, mentally, and morally. Their…
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The PS134 Southern Ocean Jellyfish (SO-JELLY) team
Meet the PS134 Southern Ocean Jellyfish (SO-Jelly) team! Jellyfish were already collected from the Bellingshausen Sea 125 years ago on board the Belgica, the first known records for this area. Sixty-one specimens from five different species were then collected during the Belgian expedition. Only sporadic jellyfish sampling occurred in the Bellingshausen Sea, jellyfish being still…
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Belgica Trough and the West Antarctic Ice Sheet
When the RV Belgica got trapped in the pack ice of the Bellingshausen Sea in the beginning of March 1898, Adrien de Gerlache and his crew had no idea that they actually had got stuck in the ice just above the margin of a huge submarine trough carved into the seafloor about 600 m below…
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A worrying absence of sea ice
On February 28th 1898, commander Adrien de Gerlache and captain Georges Lecointe decided to go south, deep into Antarctic pack ice. This was a major change of plans as they were supposed to continue west following their initial itinerary. The pack ice was not their initial objective, their initial objective was to reach the coast…
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The study of life: from microscopic diatoms to gigantic whales
Although geophysics and geology are the primary focus of our PS134 expedition, its biological component is perhaps smaller, but not less impactful. Today, I will therefore put in the spotlights the work conducted by my fellow biologists on board, which study a wide range of organisms, from microscopic diatoms, mysterious jellyfish, and zooplankton to gigantic…
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Forecasting the future by learning from the past
During the Last Glacial Maximum, i.e., the culmination of the last ice age about 20 thousand years ago, the entire seabed in the shallow part of the Bellingshausen Sea (the so called continental shelf) was covered by the Antarctic Ice Sheet. When this ice retreated after the last ice age, it left traces behind on…
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Ronne entrance
On January 19th 2023, we entered our main research area, the Bellingshausen Sea along Antarctica’s west coast. Since then, station work all around Ronne Entrance has been carried out with four groups being active. The bathymetry team finished their first surveys in the bay, scanning the seafloor for interesting features to inform the marine geologists…
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Mapping along Antarctica’s west coast
On January 23th 1898, black mountains and white glaciers rose slowly along the horizon, seen from the RV Belgica. On this day, the expedition led by Adrien de Gerlache reached the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, officially starting their Antarctic exploration. Back in those days, the crew and scientists onboard the RV Belgica were…
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The Antarctic Peninsula
On January 16th, we passed through some of the most scenic channels of the Antarctic Peninsula, being the Gerlache Strait and Neumayer Channel, both mapped and named by the early explorers of the Belgian Antarctic Expedition of 1897–1899. The Gerlache Strait was named by Captain Georges Lecointe in honor of his Commander Adrien de Gerlache…
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Crossing of the Weddell Sea
From January 9th until 14th, we crossed the Weddell Sea from east to west, carefully navigating through large flows of perennial sea-ice. This vlog shows a TimeWarp of the RV Polarstern traversing through one of the many encountered flows, filmed from high up in the crow’s nest. Are you able to spot the group of…
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Neumayer Station III
During our 2-day logistic mission on the Ekström Ice Shelf (Dronning Maud Land, East Antarctica), PS134 scientists and some of the RV Polarstern’s crew had the opportunity to visit Neumayer Station III which is operated year-round by the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI, Germany). Here is a tour around AWI’s Antarctic research station. Follow the vlog…
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Polarstern vs. Belgica, a comparison of both ships
After roughly a month of sailing on board of the Polarstern, we thought a blog comparing our research vessel to the Belgica was to order. Quite some differences are to be noted, starting with differences in ship size. With a length of 36 m, a width of 7.8 m, and a draught of 4.1 m,…
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Arrival at the Ekström Ice Shelf, East Antarctica
After an 18-day long transit, we could finally set foot on Antarctica – in this case: on its ice, as we reached the Atka Iceport at the edge of Ekström Ice Shelf on Friday, January 6th. While the crew was busy unloading cargo and fuel to supply Neumayer Station III, the scientists got the chance…
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Roaring Forties, Furious Fifties and Screaming Sixties
From December 23rd 2022 until January 6th 2023, we traveled from Cape Town to the Ekstrom Ice Shelf in East Antarctica, crossing the winds of the Roaring Forties, Furious Fifties and Screaming Sixties. Here is our weather and wave report. Follow the vlog on Youtube. Subscribe to our website to receive notifications when new blog…
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New Year’s Eve onboard the RV Polarstern
Over the last few days, a sense of excitement was building up amongst the crew and scientists of the RV Polarstern. With every minute, New Year’s Eve came closer, and with every nautical mile, we came closer to the 60°S latitude mark, the official border of the Antarctic territory. But the most thrilling event was…
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The Antarctic Treaty
After seven days of Covid-hygiene regulations, self-testing, and social distancing, our ship’s doctor finally declared us Covid free! A sigh of relief went through the ship’s crew and scientific party as we could leave our masks, and have social gatherings again. Just in time to celebrate New Year’s eve, a welcome event after the cancellation…
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Christmas on the RV Polarstern
After the last cargo issue was solved, we were able to sail out of port in the evening of the 23rd of December. However, as we still have to strictly follow the Covid-hygiene measures for a few more days, Christmas could not be celebrated in the usual way on board the RV Polarstern. Luckily our…
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Boarding the RV Polarstern
After flying for 11 hours and spending the night in a quarantine hotel, we boarded the RV Polarstern in Cape Town, marking the start of our Antarctic expedition. Follow the vlog on Youtube. Subscribe to our website to receive notifications when new blog or vlog posts are published.
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December 23rd, 2022: departure from Cape Town
After a long flight to Cape Town, followed by a night in a quarantine hotel, we finally boarded Polarstern on Thursday 22nd of December! For Adrien De Gerlache and his team, his voyage south from Antwerp back in 1897 took a bit longer, as they were sailing for over four months already before reaching their…
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Polar clothing
You’re going to Antarctica but you don’t know what to wear? Check out our fashion tips in our latest vlog. Follow the vlog on Youtube. Subscribe to our website to receive notifications when new blog or vlog posts are published:
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August 16th 1897, Antwerp (Belgium)
On August 16th 1897, Adrien de Gerlache and his crew departed from the Scheldt Quay in Antwerp for their Antarctic expedition. This year, Meltse, Gerlien and Matthias will follow in their footsteps.