Expedition to Antarctica

On December 15, Jacqueline Stefels and Maria van Leeuwe will board the icebreaker Polarstern for an expedition to Antarctica. During the expedition, they plan to investigate the influence of sea ice and algae on the regional climate in Antarctica, particularly the Weddell Sea. They hope their research will contribute to the designation of the Weddell Sea as a marine protected area.

Stefels and Van Leeuwe are part of a larger team of scientists who will be sailing with the Polarstern to map various aspects of the biodiversity and ecosystem of the Weddell Sea on behalf of WOBEC.

The brownish layer on the underside of the sea ice may at first glance appear to be just a piece of dirty ice, but numerous different animals and algae live in and on the ice.

"Krill graze on these algae like cows on the underside of the ice." Krill, as well as other animals like fish and penguins, depend directly or indirectly on the algae, and therefore on the ice, for their survival.

"To make the Weddell Sea a marine protected area, we have to demonstrate that what it offers is of great value to humans," Stefels explains. "That means we have to translate the value of this ecosystem into dollars, because that's the only way to convince people that something deserves protection."