01.02.2010
Polar Archive
Drilling into the past: located at the outer edge of northeastern Siberia is Lake El'gygytgyn, which was formed 3.6 million years ago by a meteorite strike. The sediment layers at the bottom of the lake represent an invaluable climate archive of the Arctic: they provide us with information on how the continental Arctic responded to past climate changes. With the knowledge that is gained, it will be possible to take a look into the future: researchers from the Institute of Geology and Mineralogy at the University of Cologne are asking themselves "how will the Arctic respond to renewed climate change and what implications will that have for the rest of the planet?" To project page
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Polar Archive: Episode 11, 01/02/2010
Climate Patterns
What was the climate like at Lake El'gygytgyn in the past? The opened sediment cores give a rough idea of the cold and warm periods, but only the results of the many different analyses will allow them to be deciphered. Using state of the art technology, the researchers hope to be able to reconstruct the past in detail over the next two years, and ideally even be able to look at individual years. In Cologne, the core logger measures the so-called magnetic susceptibility – the magnetisability of the material – and the colour spectrum of the cores. Every sediment has its own "fingerprint", an individual combination of density, electrical resistance, sound wave velocity, natural gamma radiation and magnetic properties. What conclusions can be drawn?
25.01.2010
Pioneers
Can you look back into the past using algae skeletons? How to reconstruct climate history on the basis of diatom analysis and the ratio of heavy and light oxygen…
18.01.2010
Through and Through
The researchers have been home for ages already – now the cores are finally arriving in Cologne too. In addition to a high resolution image the core scanner which uses X-rays, allows the researchers to take a detailed look deep inside them as well...
11.01.2010
Time to Knock Off
The drilling is finished and the target has been reached, the crew is tired and it’s nearly time to say farewell, but now the platform won’t budge…
14.12.2009
Jackpot! Impactites
Will they reach the impactites and hit the jackpot? And how can protozoa help reconstruct the climate’s history?
26.10.2009
Turbulent Times
Spring is approaching, the temperatures are rising and the platform’s weight is a heavy burden – how much longer will the ice on Lake El'gygytgyn hold out? The situation becomes precarious when the ice begins to "creep"...
23.09.2009
Hunters and Fishers
The spare parts are in—but there's a new problem. The lake doesn't seem to want to release its archive. A case for the downhole logger…
07.09.2009
Twisted
Rien ne va plus: The amount of sand and gravel increases, the drill head jams and the rotation does the rest: The drilling tube twists off. What now?
06.08.2009
Working Shifts
Working down into the depths layer by layer: How do the researchers bring the past to light, and what do they discover?
13.07.2009
Frozen Noses
Lots of luggage, a snow storm and frozen noses – the journey to Lake El'gygytgyn can begin, but will everything go smoothly? In Pevek the team of three researchers encounter an unexpected storm…
30.06.2009
Adventure in Ice
Lying at the bottom of Lake El'gygytgyn, located in extreme northeastern Siberia, is the oldest climate archive in the terrestrial Arctic—a treasure that the researchers hope to tap into.
The Projects
Everything about wave hunters, discrete optimisers and love à la Darwin—here, you'll experience what lies behind the individual projects as you follow the research diaries and get to know the scientists.
Function through Diversity
Pioneering work in China: The largest ever forest experiment on biodiversity
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