by Radiance Calmer, a CIRES postdoctoral researcher We are almost there! The initial floe, where the previous MOSAiC legs set up their installations on the ice, is only few nautical miles from us. However, we are taking our time to study the floe and decide where will be the best position for the Polarstern to… Read More

by Matthew Shupe, CIRES/NOAA scientist and co-coordinator of MOSAiC Déjà vu. At about 11:30 ship time today Markus and I stood on the P-deck above the bridge on Polarstern and looked out across the approaching sea ice edge. We did the same back in September as Polarstern embarked for the first time into the ice… Read More

by Matthew Shupe, CIRES/NOAA scientist and co-coordinator of MOSAiC Anchors up, and underway. After a few days of turnover, we are now on our way. We’ve said goodbye to our Leg3 colleagues, after absorbing as much information as possible on their experiences, the state of the instrumentation, and ideas on how to proceed. Then a… Read More

by Matthew Shupe, CIRES/NOAA scientist and co-coordinator of MOSAiC After 5.5 weeks in transit, we are finally onboard of Polarstern. What a long journey it has been just to get to this point…. And our journey is really just beginning as we still must complete this turnover and then cruise up north into the ice… Read More

by Matthew Shupe, CIRES/NOAA scientist and co-coordinator of MOSAiC All of the ships have assembled and we’ve entered the fjord. It’s truly beautiful; mountains in every direction. Snow capped. Jagged. We’ve had some sunny days here, after many days of overcast and fog. The sun definitely lifts the spirits, and builds the excitement. Now we… Read More

by Matthew Shupe, CIRES/NOAA scientist and co-coordinator of MOSAiC As we wait here…. For an excruciatingly long time to rendezvous with Polarstern, there has been some moderately good news. The sea-ice melt season has started out at the MOSAiC floe. I wish we were there with the full arsenal of observations and samples. That’s the… Read More

by Matthew Shupe, CIRES/NOAA scientist and co-coordinator of MOSAiC I’m not much of a sailor. This feeling is setting in a little more strongly now as the waves are getting bigger and the ship bounces around more. The waves are not much by most standards, and this ship is actually quite stable with limited roll.… Read More

by Matthew Shupe, CIRES/NOAA scientist and co-coordinator of MOSAiC As quarantines go, it could be worse. Not that I’ve ever been in quarantine before.  But here I sit in a modern and spacious (by European standards) hotel room. Full sized bed. Couch. Working desk. And the best feature is a full wall of windows looking… Read More

Possibly our last day today. We did some ATMOS team photos. The Leg 1 crew. The joint crew. And then the Leg 2 crew. We’ve handed the torch and now will be eager fans waiting to hear information from the field. I’m feeling this cavity starting to form inside my chest. Already feeling a sense… Read More

It’s come to the end, of Leg 1 at least. Strange feeling. The Leg 1 personnel moved over to the Kapitan Dranitsin, while the Leg 2 personnel moved over to Polarstern. I was on Polarstern in the afternoon and felt like an intruder. It is their ship now. MOSAiC is in their hands. The last… Read More