Within the framework of the UN Ocean Decade, 25 early-career scientists from around the world embarked on a training expedition aboard RV Polarstern, joining senior researchers from several international institutions.
During the expedition, the trainees learned advanced techniques for oceanographic, meteorological, and climate observations and analysis. They were trained in standard procedures for sampling and sample processing, and in how to manage and interpret the resulting data.
Over the past month, trainees also collected new measurements to investigate the ocean’s heat content—an increasingly important task in light of recent Copernicus reports showing that global temperatures in 2023, 2024, and 2025 each exceeded 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels.
Temperature profile in the atmosphere and the ocean at the equator (PS151 Station 19, 0° 0′ N, 15° 0′ W, 3751m depth)
In addition to hands-on scientific training, the participants learned how to translate complex research activities into engaging and accessible stories for non-experts. Training in clear and inspiring science communication, outreach, and knowledge transfer encouraged the exploration of new formats, resulting in a wide range of creative outputs.
Several examples highlight innovative methods that use haptic, aesthetic, and sound-based artistic elements to convey scientific findings about the state of the ocean:
Sculpture – three-dimensional artwork
The trainees transformed temperature and oxygen profiles derived from CTD data into a three-dimensional sculpture created using seawater and other materials.
Texture was used to represent varying oxygen concentrations, while colour indicated both depth and chlorophyll levels within the different water masses.
Sculpture of a temperature and oxygen profile at the equator (PS151 Station 19, 0° 0′ N, 15° 0′ W, 3751m depth). Photo © Angelika Dummermuth, AWI
Poetry
In a poetry workshop, the trainees learned to distill the key messages from their favourite scientific papers, convert them into prompts, and craft poems from them, with each prompt forming the foundation for a verse.
Whispers of water (short version)
By Pewah Nghaangulwa & Sergio Cardenas
Water is a living mosaic
colours and shadows breathing beneath the rising sun.
She holds our stories in every tide,
a home our ancestors trusted
long before we spoke of conservation and sustainability.
Even as we disturb her rhythm,
she calls to us still
in whale songs,
in lifting waves,
in birds gliding on her breath.
On the Polarstern, hope rose
nations united to rediscover
what water means to our souls.
The ocean is not our enemy;
she is a mother waiting for her children.
Let us rewrite our story with her
honour her,
protect her,
come home to her again.
Science, arts, and philosophy
In a philosophical module, the trainees explored theories of water and flow, and reflected on the question “What is water to you?”. They collected both written statements and drawings, capturing a wide range of personal interpretations.
Collage of drawings by PS151 participants on the question “What is the ocean for you?”
Music and sound for climate action
“Voices of change” is an audio recording in different languages to engage people for the protection of the ocean.
This training initiative was endorsed as the Ocean Decade Activity NoSoAT Ocean Capacity Exchange, and jointly supported and conducted by the Partnership for Observation of the Global Ocean (POGO), the Nippon Foundation, the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, Trinity College Dublin, and the University of Galway.
For more information, please contact:
Dr. Angelika Dummermuth: Angelika.Dummermuth@awi.de; +49 160 90659813