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German research vessel visits Walvis Bay Port

German research vessel visits Walvis Bay Port

The German Research Vessel, Meteor a fortnight ago docked at the Walvis Bay Port, ending a research cruise that started on 4 August in Mindelo, Cabo Verde.

The purpose of the research led by Chief Scientist Dr Matthias Zabel from the University of Bremen was to investigate the link between the oxygenation of the ocean and climate variations both in the past and today.

For this purpose, they took water and sediment samples, in addition, the cruise served to exchange oceanographic mooring systems, which have been installed for more than two decades in close cooperation with Namibian researchers.

With a new team of researchers led by Prof Dr Peter Brand from the Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research in Kiel, the Meteor left Walvis Bay on 19 September for its next research cruise.

On its way to Recife, Brazil, the expedition aims to investigate the circulation, upwelling and biogeochemistry in the equatorial Atlantic and along the eastern boundary of the tropical South Atlantic.

In cooperation with the German Embassy, learners from two local schools, the Namib High School and the Private School Swakopmund had the opportunity to visit the ship. Both schools are members of the PASCH (Schools: Partners of the Future) network in Namibia.

The visit on the Meteor included a presentation by Philip Tuchen, PhD student in physical oceanography at the Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research in Kiel, about the research activities on the ship as well as a guided tour of the vessel including the laboratories and the bridge.


Caption: Learners from Private School Swakopmund together with vessel staff. (Image: Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany).


 

About The Author

Donald Matthys

Donald Matthys has been part of the media fraternity since 2015. He has been working at the Namibia Economist for the past three years mainly covering business, tourism and agriculture. Donald occasionally refers to himself as a theatre maker and has staged two theatre plays so far. Follow him on twitter at @zuleitmatthys