Polarstern heads to the Weddell Sea to probe Antarctica's sharp sea ice drop

With the departure of the research vessel Polarstern from Punta Arenas (Chile) scheduled for this weekend, the international expedition “Summer Weddell Sea Outflow Study” (SWOS) will begin. Until the beginning of April, an international multidisciplinary research team will study the northwest region of the Weddell Sea, an area of ​​central importance to the global climate and ocean system, but which can only be explored on site by research icebreakers such as the Polarstern due to harsh sea ice conditions.