The warmer the water, the more the atmosphere heats up. This spring, for the first time since measurements began, the upwelling current in the Gulf of Panama failed to occur. This current brings cold, nutrient-rich deep water to the sea surface. This has had a significant impact on the ecosystem. However, researchers are puzzling over the reasons for its absence, as well as whether this will remain a one-off event or whether it is a harbinger of changes in other ocean currents.
Climate researcher Ralf Schiebel from the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry is also concerned with this occurrence. Aboard the 22-metre sailing yacht Eugen Seibold, custom-built by YYachts as a research vessel, he and his team investigate the role of the oceans in the climate system and the effects of global warming. He assumes that an El Niño originates in the ocean. The aim of the work, Schiebel explains, is “to collect as much data and as many samples as possible in order to describe the El Niño phenomenon as comprehensively and broadly as possible. We collect biological, chemical and physical data, such as CO₂ concentrations in the atmosphere and the ocean, to understand how all of this is interconnected.” Thanks to the use of the research yacht, complete data sets on the climate phenomenon are now available for the first time.
Since 2018, the YYacht Eugen Seibold has been sailing the world’s oceans with a crew of two seafarers and five to six scientists, in search of a profound understanding of future as well as past climate conditions. One of the shipyard’s specialities within its YCustom Division is the creation of individually tailored superyachts such as the Eugen Seibold – a project that was particularly demanding due to its unique requirements and realised with great attention to detail.
Despite its slender and elegant design, this blue-water sailing yacht was conceived for navigation in remote oceans. It was intended to be easy to handle with a small crew and to operate reliably at sea, where it is exposed to a wide range of weather conditions. With its composite hull and specially developed hybrid propulsion system, it is ideally suited for contamination-free seawater sampling. In the cleanroom laboratory on board, some of these samples can be analysed directly on site.
The equipment and operation are funded by the Max Planck Society. For although the Eugen Seibold may initially appear from the outside like a private yacht, a closer look reveals it to be a high-tech research vessel, equipped with state-of-the-art technology to investigate processes relevant to climate and weather. For example, a winch has been installed in the large aft garage beneath the working deck to collect water samples from depths of up to 3,000 metres. A sampling pipe on the keel enables the collection of surface water samples while underway.
The various samples from the atmosphere and water are analysed to gain a better understanding of the chemical and biological exchange with the atmosphere. Values such as temperature, salinity, fluorescence, oxygen content, turbidity and photosynthetically active radiation are measured. This enables researchers to document the entire process of an El Niño event. The Werner Siemens Foundation describes this comprehensive data collection and analysis as a ‘world first’. The data is fed into climate models that can simulate the potential intensification of future El Niño events in response to rising ocean and atmospheric temperatures.
Video: The Eugen Seibold – a sailing yacht for oceanic research
The sequence of events of the El Niño phenomenon is well known. Over a period of three to seven years, a warm water anomaly builds up northeast of the Philippines and the ocean heats up. Warm water is lighter and expands. After the resulting small mountain of water collapses, it flows towards South America. At the same time, the trade winds weaken. The available data sets are intended to show the extent to which individual environmental factors influence these relationships. Evaluating the collected water, plankton and air samples, and considering all interactions and feedback effects between the elements involved, will take several years.
Might this also solve the mystery of the lack of upwelling in the Gulf of Panama?
A new Y9 – the flagship of YYachts – has successfully left our shipyard in Greifswald.
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Following a smooth launch and highly successful sea trials in perfect sailing conditions, the yacht was handed over without a hitch.
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Enabling flexible, small-scale production of 60-100ft yacht hulls and decks using disruptive technologies such as novel fibre composite methods, additive manufacturing processes, robotics products, intelligent mould construction and integrated engineering processes in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
