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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, USA), Dr. Johann P. Klages (AWI, Germany), Zelna Weich (BAS and UCardiff, UK), Dr. Rob Larter (BAS, UK), and Dr. Claus-Dieter Hillenbrand (BAS, UK).

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 largely understudied in the whole Southern Ocean. Following the footsteps of the Belgica, the goal of my jellyfish team on board of Polarstern is to fill this knowledge gap. Besides the deployment of plankton nets, the advances in molecular and modelling techniques allows nowadays for a much more in depth understanding of the distribution, diversity, ecology, trophic role, and genetic connectivity of Antarctic jellyfish. From CTD deployments to collect water samples of different depths for environmental DNA analyses, to the collection, sorting, photographing of specimens, follow a day in the life of jellyfish researchers with this video.

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 during the Belgica expedition. Roald Amundsen, 1st mate of the Belgica expedition, named Neumayer Channel in honor of the German polar explorer and geophysicist Georg von Neumayer. This vlog shows a TimeWarp of the RV Polarstern navigating through Neumayer Channel, filmed from high up in the crow’s nest. Can you spot the pod of humpback whales? Tip, they pass portside at 3min52sec. Music by Piccadilly.

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 four penguins and the lonely leopard seal? Tip, they pass portside at 48 seconds and 1min06sec, respectively.

During our 2-day logistic mission on the 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.

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.

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.

You're going to Antarctica but you don't know what to wear? Check out our fashion tips in our latest vlog.