Blog from the RV Polarstern: MOSAiC trace gas fluxes update 4.8

By Byron Blomquist

This blog entry marks the end of MOSAiC Leg 4. We are currently tied alongside the Akademik Tryoshnikov, transferring cargo and fuel. Crew exchange is set for tomorrow and by Thursday we should be on our way back into the ice for the final leg of MOSAiC. Ola is taking over as ATMOS team lead, and the Leg 5 leadership is currently discussing our destination and research priorities over the next few weeks. The one certainty at this point is that we will arrive back in Bremerhaven on October 12 to conclude the MOSAiC odyssey.

Over the past week ATMOS groups working from the Polarstern foredeck have had a good stretch of measurement time in the marginal ice zone (MIZ) with wind directly on the bow much of the time. All our trace gas and flux systems were operational, as were most of the aerosol and gas sampling systems from ARM, UHel and PSI. This will likely be our only extended period in the MIZ and I think we have a good set of measurements from the end of Leg 4. We'll continue as the ship returns north on Leg 5, obtaining another transect of atmospheric properties from the open ocean to the ice at the end of the melt season and beginning of refreeze.

We hope to set up the MetCity ice camp again (for the 3rd time!) but this will depend on the conditions we find on-site. I'll keep you posted.

Photo credit: Lisa Grosfeld