Reception on RV METEOR and POLARSTERN in Cape Town

METEOR at pier in Cape Town

Maybe every 10 years the METEOR and POLARSTERN meet in the same port. And today is one of those days. POLARSTERN had just complete a floating university transect between Germany and Cape Town while METEOR spend 4 weeks in the upwelling region of Namibia to research ocean dynamics. For POLARSTERN the next expedition brings her to Antarctica while will soon be on our way to the Falkland Islands.

METEOR at pier in Cape Town

 

In addition this year is the 30ies birthday of METEOR and also the scientific year of ocean and seas in Germany. Enough reasons for a state secretary from the science ministry, Stephan Müller, to mark this rare event with his presence. The formal seminar with a room full of students and representatives from Cape Town began after lunch with a series of welcome addresses and scientific lectures. After that the visitors had the opportunity to get a tour on both vessels, the METEOR and POLARSTERN.

POLARSTERN in fron of METEOR in Cape Town

In the evening a reception on POLARSTERN rounded the day and we all met interesting people, renewed friendships and discovered the amazing research platforms. In addition to the state secretary Müller the German ambassador to South Africa, Mr. Lindner, showed also a keen interest in ocean and climate research including the associated life on board of a research vessel. For many of us this experience is about to start and we are keenly looking forward to our imminent departure.

State Secretary Müller and Chief Scientist Visbeck in Cape Town

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *