What is a Triceratops doing in the ice? It is the logo on one of the containers aboard Polarstern, coming along with seven scientists from the Senckenberg Institute on an expedition!
The equipment which the Senckenbergians brought with them on board the Polarstern did indeed fill a whole container: lab equipment, chemicals and sample jars were purchased by Annika Henche and packed into aluminum boxes together with microscopes. The large equipment of the DZMB – epibenthic sledge and multicorer – were tested and made ready for action. The container was shipped from Wilhelmshaven to Bremerhaven to the harbor storage building of the Alfred Wegener Institute, transferred onto the Polarstern, and off it went via Cape town to the Southern Ocean.
The Senckenberg Institute, with its main location being in Frankfurt/Main, is one of the largest German natural history museums with research departments distributed throughout Germany. Marine research has always been of prime interest to Senckenberg, but with the foundation of the DZMB (German Centre for Marine Biodiversity Research) in Wilhelmshaven and Hamburg Senckenberg has expanded once again.
While the colleagues in Frankfurt take care of different collections as part of their scientific work, the new colleagues from the DZMB provide services for the German marine sciences. That means that the precious samples taken on German research vessels during expeditions like this one are worked up completely, stored and catalogued. This way, specialists interested in a certain expedition or a certain animal group can borrow material and work with it.
On board of Polarstern, the Senckenbergians are devoted to deep-sea investigations. From the program CeDAMar, which is part of the Census of Marine Life, specialists for large, medium sized and very small animals are on board who live sort the sea floor samples immediately and then process them for biochemical, genetic and biogeographical studies. This is the largest group of people from Senckenberg to work south of 70°S. The Triceratops sends its regards! Gritta Veit-Köhler, Senckenberg
Photos: A. Henche and G. Veit-Köhler, Senckenberg, A. Brandt, Universität Hamburg