Abundant Sea Ice in the Antarctic Ocean

Despite the warmest ever Arctic summer, Antarctic summers remain cold and sea ice continues to be abundant. This is the latest finding from the Polarstern expedition of the Alfred Wegener Institute in Germany, which is charged with the mission of investigating the relationship between the Southern Ocean and climate.

The team of 58 scientists studied ocean currents and the distribution of temperature, salt and trace substances in the sea water from February 6, 2008 to April 16, 2008. The results from Polarstern will provide the initial data in a multi-year project that will record and analyze ocean data.

Over the next five years, scientists will monitor sixty five buoys dispersed throughout the Antarctic sea ice. These buoys can independently record water temperature and salt concentration. Then researchers will analyze the data in an attempt to understand how changes in the Antarctic Ocean correlate to changes in climate.

--LiveScience Staff

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