Date

Podcast Available
The IcePod Episode Five

77 Luftballons with Anja Sommerfeld

To access the podcast, go to:
https://theicepodcast.home.blog/


Episode Five of The IcePod is now available. The IcePod is the podcast about polar science and the people. Hosts talk to scientists who went on board Polarstern, the German research icebreaker, for the biggest research expedition in the Arctic. It is produced in collaboration with the Alfred Wegener Institute and Radio Weser.TV.

In this episode hosts talk with atmospheric scientist and project manager of MOSAiC, Anja Sommerfeld. As part of Team Atmosphere during Leg 2, Anja woke up at exactly 7:13 a.m. every day to launch 77 early-morning weather balloons from Deck A of the research vessel (in total, there are four radiosondes launches per day on board Polarstern). Because of the Arctic low temperatures, the weather balloon needed to be pampered in a bath of oil and kerosene before actually being sent up in the air.

Special guest of the expedition and Anja's highlight when working on the ice was Lady Miss Piggy. Everybody loves that big and hard-to-miss red balloon and her home, balloon town, which appears to be the prettiest place on the ice floe observatory. Preparing a flight with Miss Piggy can be a tough job though, as she is very sensitive to winds.

To access the podcast, go to:
https://theicepodcast.home.blog/