Welcome to the Helmholtz Graduate School for Polar and Marine Research
Fostered by the Helmholtz Initiative and Networking Fund, the graduate school POLMAR provides a structured qualification programme for PhD students at the Alfred Wegener Institute as supplement to their individual research work. More about POLMAR...
Announcements
- POLMAR Office hours 9 till 12 a.m. and on request
- POLMAR Office will be closed between September 6 and 10, 2010
- Next POLMAR seminar on September 14, 2010
New: MicroPerm Workshop to initiate the circumpolar integration of permafrost microbiological studies, Potsdam, November 8 - 10, more info
Friends of the Alfred Wegener Institute: AWI Science Award 2010, AWI Staff Award 2010
At the first general meeting at the beginning of June this year Friends of the Alfred Wegener Institute stipulated that, starting in 2010, the association would confer two awards to AWI staff members, a science and a non-science award, both initially to an amount of € 1,500 for 2010 (to be increased in the following years according to the availability of funds).
The AWI Science Award will be conferred for an outstanding publication in the past two years.
The non-science AWI Staff Award will be conferred every year within a certain target group in order to ensure comparability of the achievements and thus a transparent basis for presentation of the award. For 2010 the Executive Board has decided in favour of the trainees.
Deadline for Submission: September 30, 2010
POLMAR students participate in expeditions and workshops all over the world!
During their PhD time, several POLMAR students take the chance to participate in expeditions to the Arctic or the Antarctic or attend national and international conferences or workshops. Besides the challenge of working under extreme conditions such as low temperature or limited working spaces on research platforms, the learning of new scientific methods and the opportunity to discuss scientific results with colleagues from all over the world make such activities an unforgettable experience. Additionally, the social and intercultural experience broadens the view and may lead to long lasting friendships and networks.
International experiences remain indispensible for being successful in the scientific community. POLMAR therefore strongly recommends, encourages and financially supports applications for participating in international conferences, workshops or seminars that are related to the respective PhD project.
In the following there will be provided some short reports of POLMAR students on recent activities.
POLMAR Helgoland field trip, 28 June – 1 July 2010 (T. Hesse)
In the end of June 11 POLMAR students got lucky and had a chance to go to the island of Helgoland in the centre of the German Bight. The trip gave us the opportunity to get an insight into the AWI outpost of the Biologische Anstalt Helgoland (BAH), as well as experience some unique and fascinating aspects of life on Helgoland. Amongst other things we were introduced to the lobster-rearing facilities of the BAH, had a look at the scientific diving centre, and heard lectures about, e.g. bio-invasive species in the North Sea, long-term time-series measurements on Helgoland, and zooplankton development in recent years. Additionally, we had guided tours (1) around the Oberland, where we also had a chance to look at the famous “Lange Anna” (see picture) and the bird-breeding cliffs, (2) on the dune to see and hear about seals on Helgoland, (3) through the ornithological station, where we were introduced to ways of keeping track of bird migration patterns, (4) of the aquarium (part of the BAH), which hosts most marine species of the Helgoland area, and (5) through the underground bunker system, where we learned about the exciting and troublesome past of the island. The perfect weather, scenery, and - most importantly - the hospitality of the islanders all contributed to making this a great field trip!
Participants of the Helgoland field trip (T. Hesse)
Seagoing Practical on RV Heincke (P. Rozman)
From April 26 - 28, 2010, a group of POLMAR students surveyed the North Sea water and bottom around Helgoland aboard AWI RV Heincke. We tried out classical marine geology sampling tools like box corer and multi(mini)-corer. We learned how to sample the bottom sediment and how to prepare water samples from the CTD Rosette. With a multi open-and-close plankton net we caught some of the enormous spring phytoplankton bloom. Was that a consequence of an ash fertilization from Eyjafjallajökull?! The nets were packed with diatoms and other algae along with diverse zooplankton species. Some of them we identified under a microscope: copepods, jelly fish, sea worms.
On the last day of the cruise we were discovering the red sandstone cliffs of Helgoland inhabited by sea birds and the white sands of the Dune, a common resting place for seals. Cedric and Nicole showed us the AWI biological station with the aquarium and the lobster nursery. We met Jürgen - a meter long lobster king.
Work on RV Heincke (L. Wischnewski) / View from Helgoland Dune to island (P. Rozman)
Nuuk, Greenland (M. Fischer)
Workshop in Nuuk, Greenland, and field campaign near Kapisillit (M. Fischer)
In January 2010, I attended a workshop on sea ice processes at the Greenland Climate Research Centre in Nuuk. The objective of the meeting was to discuss the role of sea ice for CO2 cycling in polar regions and its significance on a global scale. Each scientist of the international group presented ongoing research and recent results. During the meeting consensus was reached that sea ice through its formation and melting greatly enhances the uptake of CO2 from the atmosphere to the ocean. It was also decided that it is necessary to combine knowledge and research at both poles in the future.
Field campaign Kapisillit, Greenland (M. Fischer)
Additionally, in March 2010 I participated in a field campaign on sea ice dynamics near Kapisillit 100 km north-east of Nuuk, Greenland. Scientists from Greenland, Denmark, United Kingdom, Finland, Germany, Belgium and USA investigated the role of sea ice in controlling the air-sea flux of gases. The main purpose of the work was to gain more knowledge about internal processes in sea ice and the exchange of heat, gases and other components between air, snow, sea ice and water column. Different techniques were compared.
