MODERN DATA HANDLING. The Computer Centre is the brain of the AWI. All information converges in its enormous data bases – data records from expeditions, including hydrographic, meteorological and seismic data. In the early days of the AWI, the Bremerhaven scientists used high performance computers at the University of Stuttgart, connected to the institute through a then exclusive and expensive data line. At first, mainly data records from Polarstern expeditions were collected. The enhancement of oceanographic projects and the beginning of computer modelling in the 80s, however, required an independent powerful computer centre. Since then, simultaneously operating high-power computers in Bremerhaven have performed complex simulations or calculated disturbance models. Furthermore, a working group for scientific computing was established at the AWI in the mid 90s. This group makes extensive use of the Computer Centre. For several years, the computers have also been employed in bioinformatics. In this context, they facilitate genetic fingerprinting of marine organisms or the genetic decoding of proteins.
1990
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| Years of discovery 47
metres diameter could be tracked for months. Such insights considerably affect the understanding of ocean dy-namics and their significance for our climate.
Although Olbers juggles with im-mense formulas and computer calcu-lations, he primarily trusts paper, pen-cil and human judgement. »This is the best way to understand the fundamen-tals of the processes«, he says. »Only if you have a grasp of the principle, you will be able to interpret complex com-puter models correctly.« However, he admits that, without high-power com-puters, his work would not be possi-ble.
Just as in 1990, when Olbers, to-gether with two Russian colleagues from the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute in St. Petersburg, started a true Sisyphean task – the production of the »Hydrographic Atlas of the South-ern Ocean«. The researchers assembled data from research expeditions of the past 90 years that had been collected by various international research in-stitutions. Overall, they checked and tabulated roughly one million data stacles within the currents and
caus-ing them to rotate. Turbulences lead to intermixing of different water bodies alongside their boundaries. They redis-tribute heat, salt and nutrients and, therefore, have a major effect on condi-tions in the ocean environment. How-ever, it is difficult to pin them down mathematically.
As it turns out, these types of tur-bulences are particularly pronounced in the Antarctic circum-polar current.
Driven by strong westerly winds be-tween 40 and 60 degrees southern lat-itude, which once frightened sailors around Cape Horn, the Antarctic wa-ter body circulates clockwise around the Southern Continent. Until some years ago, experts assumed a relative-ly steady movement onto which small-scale disturbances, so-called eddies, were superimposed. Olbers was one of the researchers who demonstrat-ed with their theoretical calculations that the current would not exist with-out these countless small elements of turbulences. A few years ago, their ex-istence was proven. From satellites, ed-dies of up to about two hundred
kilo-points for salinity, temperature and oxygen concentration. Two years later, the enormous piece of work was print-ed – the first atlas of its kind producprint-ed with computer graphics. Previously, it had been customary to use hand-drawn maps. In addition, the immense data base was intended to be accessible to scientists all over the world. The in-ternet – still in its infancy at the time – offered an ideal medium. In 1992, the Hydrographic Atlas was published as the first internet project of the Al-fred Wegener Institute. And whoever feels like it can still check where the old research vessel »Deutschland« took its samples in 1911.
36 |The standard piece of equipment for recording water properties is the CTD sensor
37 |An oceanographic mooring with a top buoy and a transmitter leaves the ship. Several thousand meters of cable, assembled with a variety of instruments, are going to follow.
36 37
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48 1980 ~ 2005 38 |A special event: Oden at the North Pole
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49 1991
| Years of discovery
The preparations for the drilling expedition go back 14 years: At that time, the ice breaker Po-larstern and Oden had ventured into the mer-ciless maelstrom of the Arctic pack ice. For a long time only the Russian nuclear ice break-ers had risked the trip into the ice desert; re-search vessels avoided the region. Therefore, knowledge about the geological structure of the ocean f loor between Greenland and Siberia, In September 2004, Kate Moran from the
Uni-versity of Rhode Island and Jan Backmann from Stockholm University announced an unparal-leled success: Together with an international team of researchers they had been able to drill 410 metres deep into the seaf loor of the Arc-tic Ocean, only 220 kilometres from the North Pole. Whereas scientific deep drilling in other oceans has become standard by now, the drill-ing expedition into the ice-covered High Arc-tic was definitely an adventure: While the ice breaker Vidar Viking – converted into a drill ship – worked at the actual drilling of the hole into the seaf loor, the Russian ice breaker Sow-jetski Sojus (powered by a nuclear reactor of 75,000 horse power) and the Swedish Oden joined forces to crush drifting ice f loes that were approaching the site. All the efforts were rewarded with 55 million year old sediments.
They provide insight into the climate history of the Arctic and revealed that the Arctic was gla-ciated for the first time 15 million years ago.
In late summer of 1991, the research vessel Polarstern set out for an unusual expedition: Together with the Swedish
»Oden« she reached the North Pole as the first conventionally powered research ship. Scientifically, the journey was also a success: both ships brought home a rich data harvest about the geology of the Arctic Ocean. The expedition is still bearing fruit today.
Text UTE KEHSE