This blog aims to highlight a kaleidoscope of ongoing multi-facetted research activities at or near the Cape Verde Archipelago off West Africa More info
I’m a dreamer. One of those who believe that life makes sense when lived with intensity, emotion and a touch of adrenaline. Ever since I was a child, I’ve always wanted to discover the world, travel to unknown places and, above all, do science that could transform realities. When the opportunity arose to embark on […]
Flap! Flap! Coo…. These pigeon noises, perfectly normal in any congested city, are entirely unexpected here. We are sailing through the eastern tropical North Atlantic on the German icebreaker POLARSTERN that is our home for two weeks. Water to the horizon in all directions and then… a pigeon! A quick look to portside solves the […]
Things got serious for us on the morning of 1 April. It was slowly getting light on the Cabo Verdean island of Sao Vicente, the local trade wind from the north-east was pushing waves into the bay of Mindelo as a research vessel turned around the corner after many months of its expedition in the […]
Life aboard the RV Polarstern, one of the world’s most renowned research vessels, is like nothing else. The smell of the ocean, the hum of the engines, and the endless horizon stretching out in every direction—it’s a thrilling and awe-inspiring experience. But beyond the romance and adventure lies a critical mission: to understand the ocean […]
Svenja burst into the red lounge, where a group of scientists were having a post-prandial chat. The alien announcement was irresistible, and we trooped down to the lab where Svenja’s fresh multinet haul was awaiting earthly attention. Under the microscope we saw live zooplankton hopping, spiralling, leapfrogging and swimming through the sample. Then, carefully teased […]
You dive down to a thousand meters depth and cruise around, letting the currents take you where they want. Every now and then a fish may curiously appear, then swim into the deep blue, leaving you alone in your cold, dark wet world. The only times you see light are when you rise to the […]
On a rolling ship, fighting seasickness, even finding their way around the cavernous Polarstern can seem a challenge. The first two days have been spent learning the rules on board – and here are many of them! “There’s a strict hierarchy on board, with all the crew having their own tasks. There’s even a correct […]
… something special must be happening. And it is – the next “WASCAL Floating University” is about to start. After we had our premiere last year with the research vessel Maria S. Merian (MSM106), we have another premiere this year with the next cohort of students: This year our Floating University will take place on […]
Team Cabo Verde meets Team GEOMAR in Mindelo. From 20 to 24 January 2023, a delegation from GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel visited Cabo Verde to discuss further research cooperations with regional partners and to strengthen the role of the Ocean Science Centre Mindelo (OSCM). This plattform for support and exchange was put […]
After the cruise MSM106 some of the WASCAL students spent some time in Germany at different institutes to work on their Master thesis. Here are some impressions from the students. Nach der Expedition MSM106 verbrachten einige der WASCAL-Studierenden einige Zeit in Deutschland an verschiedenen Instituten, um an ihrer Masterarbeit zu arbeiten. Hier sind einige Eindrücke […]