Expedition Antarctica 2011 (CAMBIO — ANT-XXVII/3)
In the months to come, experienced polar explorer Henri Robert will return to his favourite research area, the South Pole, to investigate the impact of climate change. Charlotte Havermans, who is setting sail on the German icebreaker Polarstern for the first time, will accompany him. Their colleague Cédric d’Udekem d’Acoz supports the expedition at home in Brussels.
Follow the expedition up close on these pages...
- 18.04.11 Last message from Polarstern!
- 01.04.11 Best Wishes from Queen Maud Land!
- 20.03.11 Larsen doesn't reveal itself easily...
- 03.03.11 Arrival at the Larsen area
- 01.03.11 Jubany Station
- 23.02.11 Land ahoy!
- 17.02.11 South Georgia
- 14.02.11 Finally, the first news from the planet Antarctica...
- 11.02.11 No contact with our explorers so far
- Meet the scientists!
Follow the position and track of the Polarstern (*)
The expedition
The melting ice is one of the most striking effects of climate change. At the South Pole, the Larsen Ice Shelf is the ultimate example: in only 10 years time, over 3000 km ² of this ice sheet was lost. Soon, we will rather be referring to it as the Larsen Bay...
Because of the massive melting, conditions have totally changed for the specialized fauna living under the ice shelf. These species may not survive the changes, and the vacant habitat invites to colonization by new species. An international team of researchers aims to research the impact on the structure and dynamics of marine life during a South Pole expedition from Feb. 8 to April 20, 2011.
Two RBINS researchers will be joining this expedition. Robert Henri and Charlotte Havermans (Invertebrates Department) specialize in the study of amphipods. In the Antarctic, more than 850 species of these small crustaceans have been described, therefore having a major influence on the food chain. Our researchers' goal for this expedition is to gain a better understanding of the diversity, morphology and distribution of these small crustaceans and their vulnerability to the current disturbance of the fragile Antarctic marine ecosystem.
This expedition is an international collaboration with the support of the Alfred-Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research in the Helmholtz Association (RV Polarstern). More information about the Institute and the Polarstern: http://www.awi.de/en/home/ (*)
(*) This webpage will be opened in a new window.
