Spring 2012

CLIMSLIP Project: Tracking black carbon aerosol

Approximately half of the observed temperature increase in the Arctic can be attributed to the rise of long‐lived greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Short‐lived pollutants such as aerosols containing black carbon, as well as methane, and ozone are also contributing although the exact role is uncertain. The effect of aerosols including black carbon can be three fold: by absorbing radiation in the atmosphere or in the snow after deposition and by changing the properties of clouds. Examination of the roles of these short‐lived pollutants in the Arctic and their impacts on the regional climate is the major objective of the new ANR project CLIMSLIP (Climate impact of short‐lived pollutants and methane in the Arctic) ... >> read more. All along that spring two scientific teams were conducting field experiments at the station. The first team arrived with the return of the light and the last one finished early May. The team from the LaMP was focusing on the microphysical properties of clouds and the concentrations of black carbon in the atmosphere (mini‐poster) while the team from the LGGE was examining the impact of the black carbon on the optical properties of the snow (mini‐poster).

June 2012

New Under Water Observatory installed

The new COSYNA marine ecosystem under water observatory has been successfully installed in just two weeks by Kings Bay, AWI, HZG, 4HJena and Loth engineering. The observatory consists of a land based container near the old pier and submerged water intake and a video system mounted below the under water cliff in front of the old pier. More detailed description of the installation is available on this HZG-COSYNA web page. Future location of the container 27. March; container in place 6. June 2012

Preparation of the water intake lines and their installation with a cruise ship in the background, 9. June 2012.

May 2012

Change of season

Snow is melting, migrating birds have arrived and the AWIPEV Team is going to shift. Rudolf Denkmann, Andrea Gross, and Christophe Brierre hand over the running of  AWIPEV base to the new team: Sebastien Barrault, Winfried Markert, and Pierre Lizée In the picture: Winnie, Pierre, and Seb have successfully recovered the key to the station from the sea, using boat, balloon, electric car and protective survival suites.

Quarks & Co Film Team in Ny-Ålesund

Ranga Yogeshwar and his team of Quarks & Co are visiting AWIPEV and Ny-Ålesund in order to produce a TV report on climate change as observed in the Arctic. You can follow their work on http://www.facebook.com/QuarksundCo The picture shows Ranga and Sebastièn launching an ozone sonde.

What about the Arctic ozone hole in 2012?

Also this year interest for Arctic ozone is high, read more at http://www.facebook.com/AlfredWegenerInstitut and http://www.spiegel.de/wissenschaft/natur/ozonloch-ueber-arktis-wegen-guenstiger-wetterbedingungen-verschwunden-a-835976.html