Polar Outreach Catalogue

The expedition SYSTCO aboard the German icebreaker 'Polarstern' was unique in many respects. It was part of two field projects of the Census of Marine Life, each focusing on a very different aspect of life in polar waters. CAML, the Census of Antarctic Marine Life, had the goal of sampling a wide range of sites in the Southern Ocean using a great number of ships, whereas CeDAMar was interested in biological processes on the abyssal seafloor, concentrating the field work on a few stations within a narrow area around the Meridian. Education and outreach activities were planned and implemented jointly by both projects, reaching an unprecedented amount of people within the general public. The expedition could be followed through several websites which were all linked among each other, by daily logbooks, weekly reports, images, video sequences, presentations and interviews. Special arrangements made well beforehand with involved institutions at home made for a smooth procedure on board.