German research vessel departs for new expedition in the Antarctic

A research vessel operated by Germany's Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) is set to depart this weekend from Punta Arenas, Chile, on an expedition to Antarctica.

An international team of scientists aboard the Polarstern (North Star, or Polaris) will study the north-western part of the Weddell Sea until early April, a spokeswoman for the institute said.

In recent years, the summer sea-ice extent in the area has declined sharply, likely due to warmer surface waters.

The expedition is titled Summer Weddell Sea Outflow Study (SWOS).

"The aim of SWOS is to investigate why sea ice in Antarctica has declined so sharply in recent years and how this affects the ecosystem," said Christian Haas of the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, who is leading the expedition.

The expedition will conduct extensive observations from the seafloor to the atmosphere. The focus will be on interactions between sea ice, ice shelves and the ocean, and their effects on hydrography, nutrient cycles and carbon flows.

In addition, the regional sea-ice thickness distribution and snow properties are to be determined, water masses characterized, and exchange processes between the shallow shelf and deep-sea basins investigated, the spokeswoman explained further.

Modern and classical measurement systems are to be used, including helicopters for measuring sea-ice thickness, various trawl nets, and seabed sampling and observation equipment.

The Weddell Sea is located between the Antarctic Peninsula and East Antarctica.

It is an area of central importance for the global climate and ocean system, but due to difficult ice conditions, it can only be explored on-site by research icebreakers like the Polarstern, AWI said.