{"id":47028,"date":"2025-10-17T13:05:32","date_gmt":"2025-10-17T11:05:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/test.steinmuehle.de\/blog\/2025\/10\/17\/signals-to-the-antarctic-ocean-exchange-with-the-neumayer-iii-research-team\/"},"modified":"2026-06-19T07:26:15","modified_gmt":"2026-06-19T05:26:15","slug":"signals-to-the-antarctic-ocean-exchange-with-the-neumayer-iii-research-team","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/steinmuehle.de\/en\/blog\/2025\/10\/17\/signals-to-the-antarctic-ocean-exchange-with-the-neumayer-iii-research-team\/","title":{"rendered":"Signals to the Antarctic Ocean: Exchange with the Neumayer III Research Team"},"content":{"rendered":"

“What an awesome day that was!”\u2014when students leave class saying that, it means the teachers have done something right!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

One thing is clear: It\u2019s not every day that you can establish radio contact with the South Pole. When the opportunity arose on September 24, many students at Steinm\u00fchle were thrilled to speak with the Neumayer III research station in the Antarctic ice. Establishing contact with the crew and receiving their answers to various questions from Steinm\u00fchle was made possible by technical support from the German Amateur Radio Club (DARC), by working out questions for the scientists together with the STEM teachers at Steinm\u00fchle, and by maintaining discipline during the radio communication. After all, just saying something casual into the microphone isn\u2019t enough. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A Quick Introduction to the Basics of Radio Communication<\/strong><\/p>\n

Under expert guidance, the task was to familiarize oneself with the radio alphabet, recite the call sign of the other station, and then state one\u2019s own call sign. Each sentence had to end with \u201ccome,\u201d which signals to the other party that you are finished. \u201cOver and out\u201d ends the conversation completely. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Research findings of global interest<\/strong><\/p>\n

To be able to hear the scientists\u2019 answers to the questions posed by the Steinm\u00fchlen students, discipline and keeping one\u2019s own voice down were helpful. Just imagine: Nine people are located about 12,000 kilometers away in the Southern Ocean, at a research station built on stilts. And beneath them lies 200 meters of ice. They are experts in various fields, such as meteorology, geophysics, climate research, and biology. Their tasks include Earth observation, radiation measurement, and climate research using data, temperatures, and time series. These are the issues of our time. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Many questions were on people’s minds <\/strong><\/p>\n

“Hello, Luna,” came the greeting back over the airwaves. When it became clear that radio contact was working, excitement mounted once again. There was a barrage of questions: what data is collected on glacier movements and ice thickness, how energy is generated at the station, whether there\u2019s cell service on site, whether penguins are also being studied, where wastewater is discharged, and much more. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What is life like in isolation?<\/strong><\/p>\n

But the students also had personal questions for the team. \u201cHow are you coping with the isolation? How do you take care of yourselves? What do you eat? What do you do in your free time? And how do you stay warm?\u201d Given the outside temperature of around minus 40 degrees Celsius, that\u2019s a valid question. The team, which included a doctor, explained their daily routine, which each member could tailor within certain limits\u2014\u201c…with puzzles, on the rowing machine, or on the treadmill, for example.\u201d No, there isn\u2019t really a big Christmas spirit; much of it comes down to individual preferences. Fortunately, however, they\u2019ve had internet for the past three years through the provider Starlink, which brings high-speed connectivity even to remote corners of the world\u2014enabling not only communication but also the ability to watch the occasional video. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

150 meters per year toward the ice edge<\/strong><\/p>\n

Returning to civilization after months of research can also be challenging. However, the projects, research, and findings make up for the very unique life at the research station, which must be raised regularly to prevent it from sinking into the ice. The station, operated by the Alfred Wegener Institute in Bremerhaven and which moves 150 meters closer to the ice edge every year, is currently located 10 kilometers away from it. The current team has been on site since November 2024 and will begin their journey home by plane\u2014the same aircraft used to deliver supplies once a year\u2014this coming December. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

More opportunities than in Germany<\/strong><\/p>\n

When asked why someone would subject themselves to these unconventional working conditions for such a long time, there is one answer that researchers are likely to understand particularly well: “I simply have more opportunities here than in Germany.”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“One of the best experiences I’ve ever had”<\/strong><\/p>\n

For the students, this radio contact with the Neumayer III research station in the Southern Ocean was undoubtedly the highlight of the year. This was evident from comments such as \u201cOne of the best experiences I\u2019ve ever had.\u201d The project was organized under the leadership of Steinm\u00fchlen teachers Malte Klimczak and Dr. Eva Neumann. Kudos for this extraordinary \u201cjourney\u201d! A very heartfelt thank you also goes to Frank Riedel and Marina Meixner from the German Amateur Radio Club. Your dedication was outstanding and indispensable. Angela Heinemann<\/em><\/p>\n

The following link provides insights into the conversations between students at Steinm\u00fchle and the scientists at the Neumayer III research station:<\/p>\n

https:\/\/cloud.steinmuehle.info\/s\/tS4zQq3qRzogNXj<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“What an awesome day that was!”\u2014when students leave class saying that, it means the teachers have done something right!   One thing is clear: It\u2019s not every day that you can establish radio contact with the South Pole. When the opportunity arose on September 24, many students at Steinm\u00fchle were thrilled to speak with the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":47053,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"give_campaign_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[85,105],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-47028","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-stem"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/steinmuehle.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47028","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/steinmuehle.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/steinmuehle.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/steinmuehle.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/22"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/steinmuehle.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47028"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/steinmuehle.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47028\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":52765,"href":"https:\/\/steinmuehle.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47028\/revisions\/52765"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/steinmuehle.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/47053"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/steinmuehle.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47028"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/steinmuehle.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47028"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/steinmuehle.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47028"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}