The German research icebreaker Polarstern has set out on an international research expedition to the Antarctic Weddell Sea. Led by the University of Rostock, a 46-member research team is investigating the impact of climate change on biodiversity in one of the last largely untouched marine ecosystems on Earth.
The research voyage takes place from 15 December 2025 to 2 February 2026 and marks the core fieldwork of the EU collaborative project “Weddell Sea Observatory of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Change” (WOBEC). The aim of the project is to establish the scientific basis for long-term biodiversity monitoring in a potential future marine protected area in the Weddell Sea. WOBEC is supported within the European Partnership for Biodiversity Biodiversa+ by eleven partner institutions as well as national funding bodies from Europe and the United States, and is coordinated by the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI).
Under the scientific leadership of Dr. Heike Link from the University of Rostock, the research team will conduct studies over the coming weeks along the Prime Meridian and in the eastern Weddell Sea. A key focus is the Maud Rise seamount, whose unique current systems promote an exceptionally species-rich biological community. In addition, the scientists will continue their work on the continental shelf off Kapp Norvegia, west of the German Antarctic research station Neumayer III. Both modern autonomous observation systems and classical oceanographic measurement methods will be employed.
“We want to understand how this unique ecosystem is developing and what effects the decline in Antarctic sea ice is having on the local biological communities,” explains expedition leader Dr. Heike Link. “At the same time, the expedition is an important test for our long-term observation concept.”
The Weddell Sea is considered a hotspot of Antarctic biodiversity. It is home to sponge and coral gardens, large krill swarms, and numerous ice-dependent species such as Weddell seals and emperor penguins. “As one of the last largely untouched marine regions, the Weddell Sea plays a key role in preserving cold-adapted species in the face of human-induced climate change,” says Hauke Flores, marine biologist at AWI and coordinator of WOBEC.
During the expedition, extensive biological, chemical, and physical data will be collected and, together with historical datasets, made available to the international research community. The work is carried out in close cooperation with international partners and with the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR). In addition, Polarstern will supply the German Antarctic research station Neumayer III during the voyage.
With the departure of Polarstern, an important step begins toward a better understanding and the long-term protection of one of the most sensitive and valuable ecosystems on Earth.
Heiner Kubny, PolarJournal